Varicose veins can cause the veins on the lower half of the body to appear gnarled or twisted. You may have several treatment options for your vein concerns, particularly if you have symptoms such as pain in the legs. Learn more about your treatment options before you schedule a consultation at North Texas Vein & Vascular in Flower Mound, TX.
How Can You Get Rid of Varicose Veins?
The way to get rid of your varicose vein concerns will depend on the severity of your vein condition. For example, your doctor may recommend more conservative treatments before using invasive or energy-based treatment, particularly if you have only mild vein concerns. The full list of treatments you may be able to use to improve the appearance of your legs includes:
Conservative Treatments
Conservative treatments typically focus on reducing the symptoms of your vein concerns and preventing these vein concerns from developing further. In particular, your physician may prescribe high-quality compression stockings that you should wear when you are on your feet to reduce swelling in the legs and circulate blood flow in a healthier way.
Compression stockings will not reverse the appearance of your vein concerns, but they will drastically improve symptoms such as pain in the legs. Conservative treatments may be able to delay your need for more invasive vein treatments.
Laser Vein Ablation
Laser vein ablation is a new treatment that can be used to remove varicose-type vein concerns in the legs. This treatment works by using a laser directly on the affected vein, which rapidly heats the vein and causes vein closure. This treatment produces no scarring and has a much shorter recovery time than other treatments.
Radiofrequency Ablation
Radiofrequency ablation works by exposing the affected vein to radiofrequency thermal energy. With this minimally invasive procedure, the energy from the radiofrequency system will cause malfunctioning veins to close, and eventually, the vein will be absorbed by the body. Radiofrequency ablation is usually guided by ultrasound imaging to produce the best results.
Ambulatory Phlebectomy
Ambulatory phlebectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that physically removes affected veins from the legs. Typically, an ambulatory phlebectomy is recommended for veins that are too large to remove with energy-based treatments. Several small incisions will be made along the affected vein before the vein is removed.
Ultrasound Guided Foam Sclerotherapy
Ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy also irritates vein walls to collapse bulging veins. The main difference with this treatment is that a special foam is used instead of liquid, which allows the treatment to produce more targeted results. With ultrasound guidance, this treatment can be used to treat all areas of the affected vein to produce optimal results.
VenaSeal Vein Closure
VenaSeal Vein Closure is another ultrasound-guided treatment that combines the power of thermal energy with a special chemical to seal veins. This treatment is ideal for moderate varicose vein concerns, particularly if you have experienced repeat varicose concerns. This treatment may reduce the likelihood of experiencing the same condition in the future.
What Are Varicose Veins?
Varicose veins are a common condition that causes the veins in the lower half of the body to appear bulged and gnarled. In general, this occurs because increased blood pressure stretches the vein walls, which then causes the veins to have a raised, visible appearance beneath the skin. These veins are more commonly experienced by women than men, especially by women over the age of 30.
Symptoms
Aside from the visible symptoms of varicose veins, there may be other symptoms associated with this vein condition. For example, people who have varicose concerns may experience swelling, aching, pain, or other symptoms. Although this vein condition is not associated with medical risks such as cardiovascular disease, the aching and pain of this vein condition can be disturbing for many people.
Causes
While scientists aren’t entirely sure what causes vein conditions, there are several common risk factors associated with developing this condition. For example, the biggest risk factor is being a woman, since the vast majority of people who have varicose concerns are female. For this reason, some scientists suggest that hormones may play a role in developing these veins, particularly for pregnant women.
However, there is another school of thought that varicose concerns are caused by excessive pressure placed on the veins in the legs. For example, being on your feet too long and gaining an excessive amount of weight are both factors that can increase blood pressure in the legs, which can then cause the veins in the legs to swell.
Which Treatment Is Right for You?
Identifying the treatment that is ideal for you will depend on the degree of your varicose vein concerns. For example, people with mild to moderate concerns may respond very well to laser treatment, while those who have severe vein concerns may need to use ambulatory phlebectomy to get relief from symptoms.
To determine which vein treatment is right for you, you will need to attend a consultation with a doctor who specializes in vein treatments. During your consultation, your veins will be examined, and you will discuss the symptoms you are experiencing. You also need to talk about the medications you regularly take and your lifestyle habits, since both of these can influence which treatment is most appropriate for you.
What Is Treatment Like?
Most treatments to reduce the appearance of vein concerns usually take between 30 and 60 minutes. Even a treatment such as ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy or radiofrequency ablation can be completed in roughly an hour. Of course, the length of time it takes to complete your treatment will depend on the severity of your vein concerns and how many veins you’re treating at a single appointment.
For most of these treatments, you will only need one treatment to see your desired results. If you have multiple vein concerns, your doctor may recommend breaking your treatments up into two parts so you can recover more easily.
What Should You Do Before and After Treatment?
About one week before your vein treatment, you should stop the use of certain medications, including blood thinners, anticoagulants, and anti-inflammatory drugs. You may also need to stop the use of some vitamins and herbal supplements that can cause blood thinning. Be sure to avoid waxing or treating your legs with laser treatments for at least one to two weeks.
After your treatment, it’s important to wear compression stockings for at least one to two weeks, as it will help reroute blood flow to healthy veins in the legs. During the first 24 hours, it may also be recommended that you rest as much as possible. After the first week, you will be able to resume normal exercise and strenuous activity.
How Soon Will You See the Results?
Most people will need several weeks to see optimal results after these treatments. This is because it will take some time for the affected vein to be reabsorbed by the body. If you wear your compression stockings faithfully, your results will develop more quickly because the swelling will be reduced in your legs, which will facilitate faster healing.
Can You Prevent Future Vein Conditions?
To prevent vein concerns in the future, consider changing some lifestyle options. For example, if you have to sit or stand for a long time at work, you should try to incorporate 15-minute breaks at least once every two hours to change your position. If you sit for a desk job, you should try to take a 15-minute break where you can walk around; if you stand a lot, you should take a 15-minute break to sit down.
Are You a Good Candidate?
The best candidates for vein treatments include those who have visible vein concerns or who may be experiencing aching in the legs. You may also be an ideal candidate if you will commit to moderate weight loss and regular exercise in the future, both of which are important for improving the long-term outlook of your vein conditions.
Improve Your Varicose Veins With Vein Treatments
If you have visible vein concerns that you want to treat, there are many treatments for you to explore. Whether you want a conservative treatment or a treatment that will immediately reduce the appearance of your vein concerns, you will be able to find a treatment by contacting us at North Texas Vein & Vascular in Flower Mound, TX.
