health

Many people with varicose veins have no symptoms, but some people feel
pain in their legs, especially when they stand for long periods of time. People
with varicose veins will sometimes seek treatment for cosmetic reasons.


Conservative treatment In mild cases, doctors usually suggest that
their patients exercise to improve circulation and that they wear support
hose or stockings to promote circulation in the legs and the return of
blood to the heart. Doctors also typically tell people with varicose veins
to sit with their feet up as often as possible and to avoid standing for prolonged
periods of time.


Interventional treatment Medical intervention can be divided into
two classes: surgical and non-surgical. Varicose veins can be removed
surgically via a process know as vein stripping. This process takes about
30 minutes and is often quite successful. Vein stripping is commonly
used to improve the appearance of the legs. There are also less invasive
treatments include sclerotherapy, endovenous laser therapy ablation, and
radiofrequency ablation.
Sclerotherapy is the injection of a chemical irritant into a vein to
“sclerose” or harden it. The chemical substance irritates the lining of the
vein, causing it to swell and the blood to clot. The vein loses its functi-
entirely. Most of the vein tissue turns into scar tissue. Blood flow shifts
to nearby healthy veins. Endovenous laser ablation therapy is a treatment
for varicose veins in which a laser source is inserted into the vein to be
treated, and laser light is emitted that strikes the interior of the vein.
This causes the vein to contract, and the laser source is then withdrawn.
An alternative treatment is radiofrequency ablation, which is similar to
endogenous laser therapy, but uses electromagnetic radiation of the radiofrequency
range instead of laser light to close the vein.