In my last article we discussed the cause of varicose veins, now it’s time to get a better understanding of varicose vein treatment. options. It’s reassuring to know you have a variety of options for treating those annoying little veins!
If you’re not having any symptoms with your varicose veins and you feel like you live with their appearance, do you still need to see your doctor? Probably not if you’ know you have simple varicose veins. If you have symptoms such as a change in color of the skin around the varicose vein, sores or ulcers, or a rash around the area of the varicosities, it would be best to seek the opinion of your doctor.
If you’re having minimal symptoms, you have to ask yourself if it’s worth the money to get the veins removed. If you plan on wearing a swimsuit this summer or if you feel uncomfortable showing your legs at the health club, you may want to consider some of the new methods for varicose vein treatment.
What are your options?
1. Sclerotherapy
This is probably the most common treatment for varicose veins. It results in improvement in well over half of all cases and can be done in your doctor’s office. Your doctor will injects a special saline solution into the affected veins causing them to swell and seal themselves off. Blood no longer flows through the treated veins so there’s no more pooling or engorgement. The disadvantages to this technique are that it may need to be done more than once, and you can get some bruising, sores and skin discoloration at the site of the injections.
2. Endovenous therapy
This procedure involves your doctor inserting a catheter into a large vein. The catheter emits energy which causes the wall to seal off. Smaller varicose veins that feed into the larger vein will shrink in size as a result of this intervention. Side effects are usually minimal with the exception of slight bruising.
3. Laser Surgery
It seems like lasers have so many applications these days! These procedure send very strong bursts of light into the vein causing the vein to fade in appearance over time. The advantage to this technique is that it’s quick, generally lasting less than 20 minutes. The disadvantages are that you may need more than one laser session which can be expensive. Plus, the heat sensation from the laser may be perceived as being painful. There’s usually no significant down time with this procedure, meaning you can carry out your normal activities after the treatment.
4. Vein Stripping
This procedure is usually used only to treat large varicosities. It involve making an incision and tying off the offending veins. Unfortunately, this technique involves the use of general anesthesia and must be done in a surgical suite. It can also result in post surgical complications such as anesthesia reactions, infection at the surgical site, as well as permanent scarring. As a result, this is not recommended as a first line of therapy.
Is varicose vein treatment permanent?
Although the treatments are usually effective in eliminating the affected veins, the susceptibility to varicosities will still exist making it likely you will develop new varicosities over time. If this occurs, the same treatment options would be available to you.
Now that you understand treatment of varicose veins, you’re in a better position to make the right decision for your own situation.
