6 Spider Vein Treatment Options
The blood vessels that return deoxygenated blood form other parts of the body to the heart and lungs are called veins.
It is when they become thick, full of twists and turns or get enlarged that they are called varicose or spider veins.
Usually nervures in the legs and thighs become varicosed, and can be treated using any of these spider vein treatment options.
1) The most common treatment option is sclerotherapy where a salt solution is injected into the vein to make the vein walls swell, stick together and seal shut.
This prevents blood flowing into the vein so that the vein turns into scar tissue and fades away in a few weeks' time.
Sometimes a vein has to be treated more than once for successful removal of the vein, and as the process does not require anesthesia, it can be carried out in the doctor's office.
2) Laser surgery is a new method for treating varicose nervures where strong bursts of light are sent to the vein to make it fade and disappear.
As lasers are direct and accurate, if done by a skilled doctor, it can effectively help remove varicose nervures.
However patients may feel a very painful heat sensation during the process, which can be reduced with cooling.
However laser surgery is not advised for treating nervures larger than 3mm.
3) Endovenous techniques using radiofrequency and laser is very effective at treating spider veins.
A small catheter is placed into the vein through which laser energy is sent to shrink and seal the vein wall.
With the surrounding healthy nervures restoring flow of blood, symptoms of varicose veins start improving.
4) Surgery is resorted to treating very large varicose veins.
Through surgical ligation and stripping, varicose veins are tied shut and removed from the leg.
The varicose nervures removed this way are usually the surface veins which collect blood only from the skin.
As this surgery is carried out under local or general anesthesia, it has to be performed in an operating room as an outpatient.
5) Ambulatory phlebectomy is another surgical procedure where after marking the location of the vein using a special light, tiny cuts are made in the skin after which surgical hooks pull out the vein.
This method is best for removing very large varicose nervures, leaves very small scars and has a short recovery period of a day.
6) In endoscopic vein surgery, a small video camera is used to see inside the veins after which the nervures are removed through small cuts.
This procedure is carried out under some anesthesia like epidural, spinal or general anesthesia, and the patient returns to normal activities within a few weeks' time.
Whatever treatment option you use for treating spider nervures, there is a chance of varicose veins returning after a few years' time when pressure starts building up in the leg veins.
The best way to prevent new spider veins from developing is by wearing graduated compression support stockings as much as possible.
It is when they become thick, full of twists and turns or get enlarged that they are called varicose or spider veins.
Usually nervures in the legs and thighs become varicosed, and can be treated using any of these spider vein treatment options.
1) The most common treatment option is sclerotherapy where a salt solution is injected into the vein to make the vein walls swell, stick together and seal shut.
This prevents blood flowing into the vein so that the vein turns into scar tissue and fades away in a few weeks' time.
Sometimes a vein has to be treated more than once for successful removal of the vein, and as the process does not require anesthesia, it can be carried out in the doctor's office.
2) Laser surgery is a new method for treating varicose nervures where strong bursts of light are sent to the vein to make it fade and disappear.
As lasers are direct and accurate, if done by a skilled doctor, it can effectively help remove varicose nervures.
However patients may feel a very painful heat sensation during the process, which can be reduced with cooling.
However laser surgery is not advised for treating nervures larger than 3mm.
3) Endovenous techniques using radiofrequency and laser is very effective at treating spider veins.
A small catheter is placed into the vein through which laser energy is sent to shrink and seal the vein wall.
With the surrounding healthy nervures restoring flow of blood, symptoms of varicose veins start improving.
4) Surgery is resorted to treating very large varicose veins.
Through surgical ligation and stripping, varicose veins are tied shut and removed from the leg.
The varicose nervures removed this way are usually the surface veins which collect blood only from the skin.
As this surgery is carried out under local or general anesthesia, it has to be performed in an operating room as an outpatient.
5) Ambulatory phlebectomy is another surgical procedure where after marking the location of the vein using a special light, tiny cuts are made in the skin after which surgical hooks pull out the vein.
This method is best for removing very large varicose nervures, leaves very small scars and has a short recovery period of a day.
6) In endoscopic vein surgery, a small video camera is used to see inside the veins after which the nervures are removed through small cuts.
This procedure is carried out under some anesthesia like epidural, spinal or general anesthesia, and the patient returns to normal activities within a few weeks' time.
Whatever treatment option you use for treating spider nervures, there is a chance of varicose veins returning after a few years' time when pressure starts building up in the leg veins.
The best way to prevent new spider veins from developing is by wearing graduated compression support stockings as much as possible.
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