At first, your varicose veins might have been more of a cosmetic issue than a physical one. Eventually, you developed uncomfortable and possibly painful symptoms, creating a medical issue. Now, you need to find a way to eliminate your symptoms, so your varicose veins will stop slowing you down.
You can try conservative at-home treatments to manage your varicose veins and prevent them from worsening. However, you’ll need to visit a varicose vein specialist to get rid of them. Let’s take a closer look at both options.
If your symptoms are mild, you can try managing them at home. First, wear compression stockings to improve your circulation.
Also, elevate your legs as much as possible to make it easier for the blood to flow. Additionally, don’t sit or stand for long periods of time since that can cause the blood to block up in your varicose veins.
You can also manage your veins by exercising several days a week. This is even more important if you’re currently overweight since that puts excess strain on the veins.
While these strategies might alleviate the intensity of your symptoms, they won’t make your varicose veins go away. Fortunately, you can undergo treatment.
Instead of simply managing your symptoms, a varicose vein specialist can provide treatment to eliminate them. A minimally invasive treatment will close off the damaged veins, preventing blood from pooling. Your circulatory system will reroute the blood into healthy veins, so you won’t have to worry about cosmetic or medical problems any longer.
There are various minimally invasive treatments available. Let’s look at some of the most common.
If you have small varicose veins, a specialist might recommend sclerotherapy. The provider will inject a sclerosant foam or liquid into the problematic veins, causing them to collapse. Your body will absorb the damaged veins, and your blood will flow through the healthy veins.
If you have larger varicose veins, you might be a good candidate for endovenous laser ablation. Then, the surgeon will use ultrasound imaging as guidance while inserting a catheter into the damaged veins. Then, the surgeon will use the catheter to provide targeted heat to the damaged veins. The heat will cause the veins to collapse.
Radiofrequency ablation is similar to endovenous laser ablation. However, the surgeon will deliver radiofrequency energy to heat the vein, so it collapses.
Varicose vein specialists often recommend treatment with a closure system when the troublesome veins are just below the surface. The surgeon uses a catheter to deliver an adhesive material to the problem veins. The material closes off the veins, putting an end to the symptoms.
Dr. Vinay Madan of the Center for Varicose Veins offers a variety of minimally invasive treatments for varicose veins, including the closure system and endovenous laser ablation. Schedule a consultation to find out which treatment is right for you.
