Reticular Veins Between Spider and Varicose

A report uses the word "reticular" without saying which vein it means. The word sits between two better-known ones. Sort out which one a report means before you act on it.

The statement as published

The publisher my.clevelandclinic.org writes: "Reticular veins, like varicose veins, are actually damaged veins. This makes them different from spider veins." The sentence does two jobs. It puts reticular veins in the same group as varicose veins. It also separates them from spider veins.

What it asks of you

Do not read reticular as spider veins. The source treats them as different. Ask the clinician which of the three terms your report means. The page on spider veins causes, symptoms and treatment lays the terms out side by side.

A treatment name you may meet nearby

A report that uses these vein names may use a treatment name too. A page on sclerotherapy treatment and recovery covers one. Read it so the word is familiar, and leave the choice of treatment to the clinician.

The shortest version

Reticular veins are damaged veins, like varicose veins, and they are not spider veins. Mark the word in your report and ask which group it names.