Varicose veins are veins which have become gnarled or enlarged, and they usually can be found in the legs or the feet. More often this problem occurs in people above the age of 50, and the causes are still relatively unknown. What is well known however is that in the large majority of cases, varicose veins pose no threat to health, with the only disadvantage being that they are unsightly.
If you have seen the emergency of spider veins in your body or varicose veins, there are some treatment options available which you can take advantage of if you want to remove some of the problem. Let’s take a look at your options.
Table of Contents
Advanced Vein Therapy
Advanced vein therapy is a treatment which seeks to remove and improve the appearance of varicose veins which are close to the skin’s surface. In order tho achieve this, a catheter is placed under the skin, and medicinal glue injected. This procedure is one of the least risky operations which you can select, and it is one which avoids causing any nerve damage in later life.
Compression Stockings
If your varicose or spider veins are relatively new, you don’t necessarily have to undergo treatment in order to remove them. Buying compression stockings and wearing them throughout the day can greatly reduce the appearance of varicose veins, and they will also improve the blood flow to the legs and feet.
Sclerotherapy
This procedure involves doctors injecting a solution into the affected veins which scars them and closes them off. A few weeks after this treatment you should see the veins begin to fade. This is a simple procedure which can be done in the doctor’s office and without anaesthesia.
High Litigation and Vein Stripping
In what is one of the more invasive treatments, this procedure involves cutting the affected veins. Whilst this may sound extreme, it is important to remember that the only veins which will be tied off, are the smaller veins, leaving the deeper veins that handle the high volumes of blood, out of the equation.
Catheter Assisted Procedures
In this instance, a doctor will insert catheters into the affected veins in your legs. Using radio frequency or laser energy, the doctor will then heat up the tip of the catheter to help heat up and destroy the vein. Once the vein is destroyed it will collapse and close shut. For more sever cases of varicose veins, or for greatly enlarged veins, this is likely to be the recommended procedure.
Endoscopic Vein Surgery
In extreme cases where the veins have caused further complications like leg ulcers, this is the procedure that will be undertaken. In Endoscopic vein surgery, a small video camera is placed into the leg, in order to gain a visual on the affected veins. The doctor will then use this information to remove the veins through a series of small incisions. This procedure can, like many of the others, be done as an outpatient.