Varicose Vein Treatments From Observation To Ablation

Varicose vein treatments will vary according to your veins severity and how they affect you. Plus the cost for you to manage them. Beyond that frequently your options for intervention will be determined by your doctor.

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That may sound rather vague and non-helpful. But it’s the reality and should make more sense by the end of this article.

Varicose vein treatments might include observation with lesser surface veins like these spider ones

Visible small varicose veins

Firstly vein severity will affect your choice.

Minor occasional varicose veins that have been unchanged for years and cause you no problems, may not drive you to seek treatment.

Having said that, all veins tend to get worse over time and in various circumstances which I covered under their causes.

Observation

Your first option may be to simply watch and wait.

Over time you will get an idea how much they are changing. Sometimes the change can accelerate apart from the causes I noted due to more underlying, non-visible, vein involvement.

Regular Exercise

Walking and keeping active daily will help slow the deterioration.

Prolonged sitting or standing jobs are linked to more rapid development of varicose veins.

As long as you can move from sitting to brief standing or movement, or you can move from one position say every thirty to ninety minutes this should slow down changes.

Appearance will drive quite a few people to get their veins sorted.

Symptoms will be the next and biggest drivers. I have covered the many symptoms including the most important ones you should indicate you should seek treatment.

Once you decide to get varicose vein treatments beyond just observing, what comes next?

Compression Stockings

You can chose to wear compression stockings.

A couple of style and colour versions of Class II compression stockings

If you have varicose veins present then you should use Class II ones. They exert more compression than those designed for deep vein clot prevention. Those are Class I.

The higher compression will support the increased weakness of your varicose veins.

I cover more on this on the page dedicated to these garments. But, in summary, wearing them while you are on your feet (including sitting, etc) will counteract gravity’s negative effect on venous blood return.

Once you move beyond this, then your choices multiply.

They will be skewed by your underlying vein problem and severity.

Varicose Vein Stripping

For years even to this day people have had their veins stripped. This surgical procedure varies quite a bit. But at its core, the non-visible affected related vein or veins are tied at one point and pulled inside out to remove them.

Then the visible surface veins are normally pulled out in segments through small incisions. You can check more on this on the page specifically about vein stripping.

Minor surface veins, without underlying non-visible damaged parts, can also be removed by these incision approaches. This phlebectomy method will involve small incision scars.

At times operators may elect to inject surface veins by sclerotherapy.

Sclerotherapy

Which brings me to that method for varicose vein treatments.

What is sclerotherapy?

Basically it is injecting an irritant solution into the damaged veins. This creates a surface graze of the vein wall. Body healing reactions are stimulated.

With appropriate management, the vein walls will heal together, closing off the problem ones.

Even the veins that are not visible from the surface can be managed this way. I will give more information on this approach under a dedicated page.

Often pure surface only problem veins can be treated very effectively this way.

You can also use surface laser sessions.

So we come to laser.

Varicose Vein Treatments By Laser

I mention more on this in another page. Essentially, though, its mechanism is the same as with sclerotherapy.

Laser light absorbs into a pigment, whether the red haemoglobin or that of water, creating heat. The generated heat sears the vein lining.

Venacure 1470nm laser facade shown on an angle is used for endovenous laser therapy on less visible segments of damaged veins in varicose vein treatments

Front of Venacure 1470nm laser used for endovenous laser therapy

As it is heat, this tends to be deeper in action than the chemicals in sclerotherapy. Resulting in a stronger healing reaction and effect.

Post Intervention Management

Whether sclerotherapy, laser or surgery is used, all treatments involve a time of compression stocking wearing. This can vary from two to six weeks or so depending on what has been done and your clinician’s practice.

Its aim is to direct surface blood flow to the deeper vessels aiding healing and reducing risks of treatment related deep vein clots.

Most clinicians will recommend you walk daily while in your stockings. This will speed healing with better venous circulation and reduce deep venous thrombosis risks.

Costs

Obviously costs will vary according to the treatment you choose or can access. More complex procedures will cost more.

Insurance schemes may well cover these. They will have guidelines for such cover. You can check out the Southern Cross criteria and process in the dedicated page. If your health insurer is one of the others, be sure to check out the specific page for them.

Your Best Choice

Outcomes for varicose vein treatments are not dependent entirely on the cost or the money you pay. Over time real efficacy of the various options are being revealed.

Internationally over the last few years, relating to more major varicose veins, the best options for varicose vein treatments are now rated according to effectiveness.

This rates laser treatment (for the deeper veins) as the best or gold standard option.

Next comes sclerotherapy.

Followed by surgery or stripping.

What you can obtain, though, may well vary according to your local clinicians. Springdale Clinic provides the latest in varicose veins treatment Auckland.

Yet even the Waikato, Coromandel to Bay of Plenty area are in close proximity to the clinic.