Understanding the Different Types of Varicose Vein Treatments

Do you see twisted, bulging, purple or blue vessels on your legs and feet? Veins belong beneath your skin and usually aren’t very visible unless you’re looking closely. However, veins in your legs can expand and bulge when the valves inside them become faulty. 

Valves inside your leg veins serve the purpose of pushing blood upward toward your heart. They’re quite functional when you’re young but can weaken over time. When this happens, they may not close entirely, which causes the blood inside them to pool in specific areas or fall back downward. The pooling blood increases pressure within the vein and causes its walls to expand. Eventually, the varicose vein becomes enlarged and visible on your skin’s surface, possibly even becoming elevated. 

Varicose veins can sometimes cause mild discomfort in your legs and may indicate a higher risk for blood clots. While these are valid reasons for pursuing treatment, you might also be interested in treating them because you don’t like the way they look. During a treatment consultation at Women’s Health Institute in Macon or Warner Robins, Georgia, Nnaemeka Umerah, MD, and Anayo Umerah, MD, assess the condition to decide which of several advanced treatments is the best choice for your varicose vein or veins. 

Around 20% of people get varicose veins at some point in their lives: They’re far from abnormal. However, if you want to treat your varicose veins for cosmetic purposes or for your own peace of mind in regards to your health, consider exploring these treatments:

Sclerotherapy — just an injection

Sclerotherapy is a classic treatment for spider veins and varicose veins alike. With a quick injection, Dr. Umerah introduces a chemical called a sclerosant into the targeted vessel. The sclerosant causes the walls of the vein to expand and eventually close off the vein entirely, blocking blood from passing through.

Your blood reroutes through other vessels, leaving the treated varicose vein alone to eventually disappear entirely. You’ll want to follow Dr. Umerah’s specific instructions for preparation and recovery in order to see the best possible results from sclerotherapy, which include using compression stockings for some time to compress the targeted blood vessel. 

Vein ablation — burn your veins closed

Vein ablation is another option for varicose vein treatment available at Women’s Health Institute. It’s a minimally invasive procedure that involves heating the vein with radiofrequency energy through a catheter or needle. The energy causes the vein to constrict and eventually collapse. 

Like sclerotherapy, vein ablation procedures cause the blood that once flowed through the treated vein to route through other blood vessels in the same region. You’ll also use compression stockings as advised after this procedure. Compression stockings prevent blood clots and help keep the treated veins closed. 

Phlebectomy, ligation, and stripping — undergoing surgery

So far, we’ve covered two nonsurgical procedures that can cause targeted varicose veins to disappear. Now, we’ll cover a couple minor surgeries you can get at Women’s Health Institute for your varicose veins. After examining the veins you want to target, Dr. Umerah might recommend:

Phlebectomy

Phlebectomy uses a small needle or scalpel to remove the entire vein through a small incision in your leg. 

Vein ligation and stripping

During vein ligation, Dr. Umerah ties off the vein to stop the flow of blood through it. Stripping is the removal of the vein from its place inside your leg. 

Phlebectomy and vein stripping are similar but not exactly the same. However, phlebectomy is less invasive and has a shorter recovery time. Dr. Umerah informs you of which procedure is the right fit between the two if nonsurgical options like sclerotherapy are not preferable in your case. 

Learn more about varicose veins and available treatments by calling Women’s Health Institute or booking a treatment consultation online today.