Broken capillaries, also known as spider veins, are dilated red, purple or blue blood vessels that appear near the skin’s surface in a weblike pattern, usually on the legs or the face.

Over the next few weeks, the painful area became a bulge, and on June 17, Brand put pressure on it. Unexpectedly, the protrusion popped, and a 1.5-inch metal wire came poking out of her leg, piercing ...