Having spider veins or varicose veins is not a shocking thing. Men and women have had these conditions for ages. One thing that no one likes about them, though, is the fact that they are visible and embarrassing. In fact, a big percentage of ladies who seek spider vein and varicose vein treatment are too embarrassed to continue living with their abnormal leg veins. They prevent them from wearing their favourite short shorts or short dresses and skirts. But, unlike in the past when sclerotherapy and vein stripping surgery were the only vein treatments, today’s cures are several and victims of vein conditions can live like normal people. The only thing they must know first is the cause of their vein problem.
Why do you have spider veins or varicose veins?
The only way you can tell the real cause of your spider veins or varicose veins, and how to treat them, is to book an ultrasound test. All you require is an excellent varicose and spider vein treatment doctor in your locality and then create an appointment with them. Most likely, the ultrasound test will confirm the presence of faulty valves in veins. And when the valves are not functioning normally, they will not close well and there will be a backward flow of blood that should normally flow to the heart. As the leaking blood pools in tinier, less competent veins, pressure on vein walls will mount, causing the veins to swell and become visible. At this point, you will need to see a varicose vein treatment doctor who can diagnose your problem and offer the right treatment.
Compression stockings can help
This are the least invasive and the cheapest varicose and spider vein treatment technique. While these do not require prescription, it’s important to get it from one of the best vascular doctors offering reliable varicose vein treatment in your area. Although most people find compression stockings quite unattractive, they are the best for alleviating pressure put on abnormal veins and increasing blood circulation. One thing to note, however, is the fact that compression stockings do not cure spider veins (also thread veins, telangiectasia or sunburst veins) and varicose veins (also varices or varicosities). They will only boost the physical feeling, especially, if your legs swell and hurt after coming home from work.
Sclerotherapy
The leading spider vein treatment technique is sclerotherapy. It is a treatment technique where a patient’s aching vein is injected with a saline solution via a tiny needle. This solution then starts to irritate the vein’s lining and eventually the vein will become a scar tissue that is then absorbed by the body. If the main draining vein’s valve does not have a problem, this therapy can be offered. But, if the main draining vain’s valve has been ligated or ablated, chances are high that if sclerotherapy is done, telangiectasia will reappear soon. This therapy is also a perfect pick for those suffering from reticular veins that look almost like spider veins.
Conventional scelerosing method is not widely used these days as doctors have come up with the ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy technique as well as Duplex ultrasonography. The latter has enabled the doctors to safely and successfully treat patients by improving the analysis of the test results. Foam is better than the saline solution that doctors used in the past. It is a better sclerosant than just liquid because it is offers higher success rates as soon as the spider vein treatment process is over.
Foam is not a new sclerosing agent at all; it was in use in around 1939. It is a blend of air plus a liquid sclerosant or carbon dioxide with a liquid sclerosant. Foam’s ability to last longer depends on the bubble size, conditions under which it was made and tension-active property. If the bubble size is smaller, the sclerosant will be more concentrated in the foam, less diluted with blood and highly potent. The work of the foam is to push the blood in a proximal manner and into the collaterals. This ensures an even contact between the sclerosant and the endothelium.
Foam sclerotherapy is better than the conventional type because it offers enhanced adhesiveness, increased safety, reduced drug dosing and concentration levels and echovisibility. As a result of this, foam sclerosing therapy is being used to treat medium to large sized varicose veins. A study found that more than eighty-five percent of cases involving medium to large sized varicose vein treatment with sclerotherapy were successful immediately(early closure of veins was achieved). All in all, these abnormal veins required more than one session of spider vein treatment. About eighty to ninety percent of these remained occluded three years after being treated with the foam sclerosant.
While this method works, it also has its complications that you should know about before enduring it. First, you are likely to develop phlebitis, skin hyperpigmentation, transient lymphoedema, transiet scotoma, allergic reactions, and necrosis. If sclerotheprapy involves your smaller saphenous vein, chances are that you will develop the deep vein thrombosis (DVT) problem, which will hardly ever cause a clot to travel to the lung and trigger the deadly pulmonary embolism.
Foam sclerotherapy is cheaper than other methods of treating refluxing saphenous veins. As well as this, it is an outpatient technique that does not require the use of local anesthesia to numb the area being treated. Additionally, the procedure is more preferred for treatment of abnormal leg veins because it is easier to heal and rarely causes pain afterwards—and this simplifies the recovery period.
Varicose vein treatment techniques
As we have hinted, only ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy can be used to treat medium-sized to large-sized varicose veins. The conventional method is never preferred for the eradication of these types of sick veins. So, what are the best varicose vein treatment techniques? They are discussed as shown below:
Radio frequency ablation or RFA
First of all, RFA is a technique that entails the use of high frequency AC (alternating current) that is delivered via a bipolar catheter. This catheter is usually placed intraluminally and put under the guidance of duplex; it is able to obliterate the vein lumen. The role of the AC is to trigger ionic agitation and localized heating. This results to venous spasms and unchangeable denaturation of collagen. Hence, a fibrotic luminal seal with the least thrombus forms. Radio frequency ablation must be done under general anesthesia, tumescent local anesthesia or regional anesthesia.
This varicose vein treatment is performed by reaching the Greater Saphenous Vein at the knee level using the Seldinger tactic. The efficacy levels as well as the clinical benefits of RFA have been documented. Advantages are that patients feel less postoperative pain and are able to resume their work as soon as possible. Some studies have indicated that RFA could be cost-effective for employed people and ideal when one is seeking one of the least invasive varicose and spider vein treatment methods. It is over 95 percent effective when done correctly by a well-educated and well-versed vascular experts.
Unfortunately, RFA has complications that you should be aware of prior to having it done. About zero to nineteen percent of patients was found to suffer from paraesthesia while zero to three percent suffered a thermal skin injury. There is a certain research study that disclosed that RFA caused up to sixteen percent prevalence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
All the same, radio frequency ablation is one of those durable cures that can provide results that can be enjoyed for five years, utmost, and this is better than the outcomes of the conventional vein stripping surgery.
Endovenous Laser Ablation
This is yet another technique that can substitute sclerotherapy when a patient has thread veins or small-sized varicose veins. EVLA makes use of laser energy that is delivered through a 400–750 μm laser fiber device. During the varicose vein treatment process, the blood boils in the lumen and generates bubbles that in turn trigger a heat injury to the vein wall. During an endovenous laser ablation therapy of the SSV or GSV, the doctor makes an incision either at the ankle or beneath the knee. Only less than ten cases fail at first attempt, thereby needing a repeat treatment.
As a laser device releases longer or shorter wavelengths, it is your doctor who can tell the right one to treat either spider veins or varicose veins with. This is probably the least invasive method of curing abnormal leg veins, and its success rate is higher than ninety-five percent. During treatment, your doctor will give you a local anesthetic shot to numb the area being treated. Then, he or she will have you lie on your back and insert a tiny hollow tube into the leg’s main draining vein.
After that, he will use the correct laser to seal off the problematic vein. When a vein is sealed off, the blood will be forced to flow via a secondary venous system so as to alleviate pressure on the swollen varicose vein and cause it to shrink back to a normal, undetectable size. If pain, inflammation of veins or bruising is experienced thereafter, it will have disappeared by the fourth week. Paraethesia and superficial burns caused by heat go away totally overtime. Still, EVLA can trigger deep vein thrombosis; the incidence varies by zero to seven-point-seven percent. There may be other complications that your varicose vein treatment specialist will reveal to you when you visit their vein clinic.
Surgical stripping or ligation
This technique is picked up as the last option. If the endovenous, least invasive cures fail, the doctor might have no other choice but to perform the surgical stripping procedure on your leg. A few tiny cuts will be made from the groin to the area just beneath your knee. Then the physician will tie off the abnormal vein and take it out fully. The whole procedure is done under general anesthesia to reduce pain. Unlike other methods of thread vein and varicose vein treatment, ligation does have worse side effects. For instance, you cannot resume your normal activities immediately after. Secondly, your recovery might take one to one and a half months, which is longer than the amount of recuperation time needed after sclerotherapy, EVLA or RFA. Moreover, vein stripping surgery is only seventy-five percent successful, unlike endovenous methods that are over ninety-five percent. A surgical treatment method covered by several health insurers, ligation is cheaper than other therapies. So, unless your vascular doctor does not find a better cure for your case, surgery will be chosen.
The above-mentioned techniques of eliminating varicosities and thread veins are the most prevalent. There are others too that your vein expert might try prior to selecting a surgical option. Meanwhile, make sure that you seek the best thread veins and varicose vein treatment service near you. Even without being treated, it’s wise to consult an expert who has been treating varicosities for a number of years. By consulting them, you can decide the best way forward.
Your risk of having more aggressive varices that can become inflamed and ulcerated is high if you are pregnant, overweight or genetically predisposed to this problem. Besides, you need to understand the fact that thread veins and varicosities are mainly because of a venous reflux disease (venous insufficiency) that can only stop advancing if you seek a varicose vain treatment service now.
Conclusion
Varicosities and telangiectasia have treatment options that you shouldn’t fear. While they can be treated now, a doctor cannot prevent new ones from forming in another part of your body. Hence, once you get rid of your current abnormal veins, the next thing you want to do is to prevent others from forming. There are simple acts you can do or avoid every day to prevent the formation of new abnormal veins. So, don’t cross your legs when seated, don’t stand or sit down for several hours without taking a break and avoid a sedentary lifestyle to keep your weight controlled. Next, don’t wear clothes that are tight around your waist, always elevate your legs after work, eat a proper diet and exercise your body regularly.