When do varicose veins need treatment

I would like to do something about all my varicose veins, but until my youngest daughter gets out of college, we really can't afford it. I also know that treatment sometimes can cause some discoloration or scarring, which I would also like to avoid. So I wear my support hose, elevate my legs, and wear darker hose with my skirts. Your personal feelings are just as important as the medical facts. Think about what matters most to you in this decision, and show how you feel about the following statements.

I'm really bothered by the way my legs look because of my varicose veins. I'm not worried about possible side effects from a procedure for varicose veins. Having a procedure is worth it to me, even if there's a chance that my varicose veins will come back. Now that you've thought about the facts and your feelings, you may have a general idea of where you stand on this decision. Show which way you are leaning right now. How sure do you feel right now about your decision?

Here's a record of your answers. You can use it to talk with your doctor or loved ones about your decision. I still have symptoms from my varicose veins, even with home care. I don't want to have the risk of any side effects from a procedure. I don't want to have a procedure if my varicose veins could come back. I might be able to treat my varicose veins without having surgery or a procedure. Home treatment can change how my legs look from varicose veins.

The kind of procedure I'll have depends on the size of my varicose veins. Are you clear about which benefits and side effects matter most to you? Do you have enough support and advice from others to make a choice?

Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: E. Szalay MD - Vascular Surgery. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor.

Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. Updated visitor guidelines. Get the facts. Your options Have surgery or a procedure to close or remove your varicose veins.

Try home care to improve your symptoms. You can exercise, prop up your legs when resting, wear support or compression stockings, and lose weight if needed. Key points to remember You may want to first try some things at home to reduce pain or other symptoms from varicose veins.

You can wear compression stockings , prop up your leg or legs on a pillow or a chair when you can, get some exercise, and lose weight if needed. If these steps don't help your symptoms, you may want to have surgery or a procedure. Having surgery or a procedure is a better choice if you care a lot about how your legs look. Home treatment won't change the look of varicose veins.

Surgery and other procedures also can reduce pain and other symptoms. Surgery can leave tiny scars on your legs. The size of your varicose veins affects the type of treatment you might have. If you have larger veins, you are likely to have surgery ligation and stripping or less invasive procedures such as radiofrequency closure or endovenous laser treatment. Small to medium-sized varicose veins usually are treated with sclerotherapy, external laser treatment, or a minor surgery called microphlebectomy.

Procedures that are used to close varicose veins and keep them from coming back seem to work about the same. These procedures include laser treatment, radiofrequency closure, sclerotherapy, and surgery.

Before you have any procedure, check your insurance to see if it covers the cost. Some policies do not cover procedures that are viewed as only being done for personal, not medical, reasons. What are varicose veins? They can make your legs ache, hurt, itch, and swell.

Even if you don't have symptoms, you may not like the way the veins make your legs look. How are varicose veins treated? You can treat varicose veins with home care, surgery, or another procedure. Home treatment For many people, home treatment relieves pain and other symptoms. You can: Wear compression stockings. Prop up your legs on a pillow or a chair when you can. Exercise to improve blood flow in your legs. This disappears after a few seconds. Each vein may need several injections, given some weeks apart.

Many different veins can be injected in one treatment session. Allergic reactions to the sclerosants are very rare. This enables the surgeon to clearly see both normal and abnormal veins underneath the skin. After sclerotherapy for varicose or spider veins To improve blood circulation in the deep veins, it is essential to walk after the treatment.

You should wear a compression stocking to reduce the risk of bruising and swelling, and other complications such as inflammation and clots. Regular exercise, weight control and the use of support stockings if practical are recommended between treatments and after treatment. Side effects of sclerotherapy for varicose or spider veins Some of the possible side effects and complications of sclerotherapy include: bruising — usually at the site of the injection.

This will disappear in a few weeks Brown lines or spots — these may appear on the skin at the site of the injected blood vessels. This can occur when blood escapes from the treated vein into the skin. In most cases, this discoloration will disappear in time. In a small number of people fewer than five per cent , the brown lines may last up to a year or longer.

It is best not to take iron supplements while receiving sclerotherapy, as brown lines are caused by the iron content of the red blood cells. Laser therapy can treat stubborn lines or spots, although this treatment cannot be guaranteed to work lumps — may occur in larger injected veins. They will either be removed a few weeks after the injection or will clear by themselves swelling — may occur in people who have had large veins treated.

To prevent swelling, it is best to wear compression stockings after the treatment matting — a network of fine blood vessels can develop after sclerotherapy. This can be due to a number of reasons including lack of compression, inadequate compression, hormonal supplements, vitamin E supplements, use of anti-bruising creams or creams containing vitamin E, and inadequate treatment of underlying veins.

Matting may resolve spontaneously but this may take a year or longer. It can also be treated using special injection techniques ulcers large sores — these may form at the site of the injection. They can occur immediately after injection or a few days later. They are rare, but can be painful and usually leave scars after they heal inflammation phlebitis and blood clots — can affect the treated large veins allergy to the irritant solution irritation to veins other than the intended varicose vein accidental injection of irritant solution into an artery, causing tissue damage.

Inflammation phlebitis and blood clots can occur after sclerotherapy if: no compression has been applied the applied compression has not been enough you are on the contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy you have an underlying tendency to clotting the treatment has been performed just after long-distance travel or a major operation the underlying source of leakage in the vein has not been treated adequately the inflammation extends to the deep veins, causing deep vein thrombosis DVT.

DVT is a rare but serious complication of sclerotherapy. It can extend to the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism clots in the lungs and even death it is recommended that women stop all hormonal supplements before sclerotherapy check with your doctor. Surgery for varicose veins Major surface veins long or short saphenous veins that are varicose are usually treated surgically. Generally, a surgeon makes numerous small incisions cuts to reach the vein, rather than one large cut.

Depending on the location of the varicose vein, these incisions may, for example, be in the groin or behind the knee. Surgical techniques include: ligation and stripping — the surgeon cuts and ties off the vein this is called ligation. Stripping the vein involves inserting a slender instrument into the vein through a small incision. Acute effects of graduated elastic compression stockings in patients with symptomatic varicose veins: A randomised double blind placebo controlled trial.

European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, 55 1 Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed September 25, National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute. Unusual death due to a bleeding from a varicose vein: a case report.

BMC Research Notes, ; JAMA 8 Without varicose veins management or treatment, the condition may lead to chronic pain, but there are many treatment options and In most cases, the patient can go home the same day — if surgery is required on both legs, they may need to spend one night in hospital. Laser treatments are often used to close off smaller veins, and also spider veins. Strong bursts of light are applied to the vein, which gradually fades and disappears.

The top of the vein is tied up and sealed. A thin, flexible wire is threaded through the bottom of the vein and then pulled out, taking the vein with it. This procedure does not usually require a hospital stay. Ligation and stripping can sometimes result in bruising, bleeding, and pain. In extremely rare occasions, there may be deep vein thrombosis. After surgery, most patients will need weeks to recover before going back to work and other normal duties.

During recovery time, compression stockings are worn. A chemical is injected into small and medium-sized varicose veins, which scars and closes them. A few weeks later, they should fade. A vein may need to be injected more than once. A small incision is made either above or below the knee, and with the help of an ultrasound scan; a narrow tube catheter is threaded into the vein.

The doctor inserts a probe into the catheter, which emits radiofrequency energy. The radiofrequency energy heats up the vein, causing its walls to collapse, effectively closing it and sealing it shut.

This procedure is preferred for larger varicose veins. Radiofrequency ablation is usually done with a local anesthetic. A small laser is threaded through the catheter and positioned at the top of the target vein; it delivers short energy bursts that heat up the vein, sealing it shut. With the aid of an ultrasound scan, the doctor threads the laser all the way up the vein, gradually burning and sealing all of it.

This procedure is done under local anesthetic. There may be some nerve injury, which is usually brief. An endoscopic transilluminator special light is threaded through an incision under the skin so that the doctor can see which veins need to be taken out. The target veins are cut and removed with a suction device through the incision.

A general or local anesthetic may be used for this procedure.