Managing Varicose Veins

Your doctor can treat varicose veins to relieve symptoms, prevent complications, and improve your appearance. Treatment options include lifestyle changes and medical procedures. Center for Advanced Vein Care are often performed in your doctor’s office and require only a few needle pricks or small cuts. Some of the most effective treatments are designed to treat early-stage varicose veins, before they develop into more serious problems such as open venous ulcers or blood clots.

A physical exam is the main way that your doctor diagnoses varicose veins. However, your doctor may also order an ultrasound test to get a better view of the blood flow through your veins. An ultrasound exam uses sound waves to produce a picture of your veins and their valves, which is used to help identify problems such as a blood clot or damaged vein wall. Your doctor may also order an MRI, CT scan, or other imaging test to find out more about the extent of your varicose veins and whether they are causing any other health problems.

The most common treatment for varicose veins is called sclerotherapy. In this procedure, your doctor injects a chemical into the affected vein. The injection causes the vein walls to scar and close, forcing blood to take other routes through nearby healthy veins. Over time, the closed vein will disappear from view. Your doctor will usually need to do several sessions, spaced about 4-6 weeks apart, to completely close off a vein. You may experience some discomfort from the needle pricks, but this will fade quickly. Your doctor may recommend that you wear compression stockings after a sclerotherapy session to promote healing.

Other treatments for varicose veins are more invasive and involve removing the diseased veins through tiny punctures in your skin. In these procedures, your vein specialist punctures the skin near your varicose vein and then inserts a catheter (a narrow tube) into the diseased vein using ultrasound guidance. The catheter is connected to a device that creates heat to close the diseased vein. The procedure is usually done in your doctor’s office, and you will go home after a short hospital stay. You may experience some bruising and tenderness after this procedure, but these side effects will fade within a few weeks.

Center For Advanced Vein Care is a new, less invasive approach to removing diseased veins. During this procedure, your doctor numbs the area around the vein. Then, your doctor inserts the catheter into the diseased vein and heats it with temperature-controlled radiofrequency energy. This causes the vein wall to shrink and seal, causing the vein to collapse and die. Over time, the closed vein will be reabsorbed into surrounding tissue. Your doctor will wrap the affected leg in a compression bandage after this procedure.

You can protect against varicose veins by eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising regularly. You can also reduce your risk of varicose veins by wearing compression stockings and elevating your legs when sitting or lying down.