Four Outpatient Treatments For Varicose Veins
by Julia Gregory
Varicose veins are a problem that can appear after a pregnancy or simply as you age. There are several treatments available for this condition, and which one is best for you will often be dictated by how severe the problem is. The following is an overview of the most common outpatient treatment options open to you.
Diet, exercise and lifestyle changes
This is a treatment that is most successful at the beginning stages of varicose veins. One aspect of diet and exercise is to lose weight. Obesity is a known link to varicose veins, so keeping your weight down will usually help to prevent the condition from getting worse. Wearing tight fitting pants on your legs, especially compression stockings, will also help your veins circulate blood better. Avoiding long periods of time standing on your feet can help, as well as keeping your legs elevated when you are relaxing. Early detection combined with lifestyle changes is usually the best option for the beginning stages of varicose veins.
Non-invasive laser surgery
This treatment uses a laser to destroy the veins with heat. Rapid moving lasers strike the veins through the skin. This results in the destruction of the veins, and then they slowly disappear. This type of laser surgery is non-evasive. Although referred to as a surgery, no incisions are made, and there are no injections. It is an outpatient treatment, and the recovery time fast. However, it is usually best for smaller varicose veins that appear as blemishes on the skin. Sometimes this type of varicose vein condition is called spider veins.
Phlebectomy treatments
This refers to pricking the skin with a needle and removing the vein. It only requires a patient to be sedated or local anesthesia for the area to be treated. This is sometimes a treatment that is best for varicose veins that are small and few in number. It can be quicker for a doctor to use this method rather than a laser treatment.
Endovenous laser treatment
This type of treatment is for larger varicose veins than a non-evasive treatment will not be effective on. A catheter tube is first inserted into the vein, then a laser filament is passed through the catheter and is heated. This direct heat into the vein destroys it, and it closes shut. This procedure can be done with a local anesthesia and the recovery time is quick.
The treatments listed above are not the only options available to you. You will first need to visit a doctor to get a diagnosis. Once varicose veins have been confirmed, your doctor can then formulate the best treatment based upon the severity of your condition and any factors that pertain to your particular health condition.
Get in touch with a center like Varicure Vein Center to learn more.
Share
About Me
The decision to move one of my parents into assisted living was one of the most difficult I have ever made. I had extreme feelings of guilt that led to me being at the facility with my parent practically around the clock. It took a few months before I realized that I could not let my own life fall apart from the guilt I was feeling. I also learned that my parent was fine without me constantly hovering around. Since that time, I have had several friends express similar feelings of guilt. I started this blog to help others in the same situation understand not only their feelings about assisted living, but those of their parents.