You might never wear shorts because of varicose veins. Perhaps you even apply concealer or foundation on those grey-blue veins. You probably think that you may be attracting more attention than if you were wearing head-to-toe neon on a sunny day.

Does this sound familiar?

Well, varicose veins are incredibly frustrating. They can wreak havoc on your sense of self-confidence and can limit what you wear and how comfortable you are in your skin.

That’s exactly why varicose vein removal treatments are available. Though they’ve been around for a long time, they’ve become perfected over the years.

These days, you can literally take your lunch break from work and have those pesky varicose veins treated in an hour. Then you can go about your day as if nothing ever happened. That’s how minimally invasive the treatments for varicose veins are at Ageless Living.

Are you thinking of blasting out those varicose veins of yours? Keep reading to find out which procedures are available to you.

What Are Varicose Veins?

Before we delve into the treatment options for eliminating varicose veins, let’s get familiar with what varicose veins are.

Varicose veins are veins that have gotten too big or even twisted over time. Any vein can become “varicose,” but you’ll usually see them in the legs and feet because of all the pressure put on them from standing and walking.

Most of the time, varicose veins are just a cosmetic issue. They may be unsightly, but there’s usually nothing inherently dangerous about them.

However, there are some situations in which varicose veins increase the risk of life-threatening conditions such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms. Sometimes they can cause pain and discomfort. Sometimes they can even cause more serious issues and can even be a sign of more severe circulatory problems.

So, are you wondering how to treat varicose veins? Read on to find out.

1. Sclerotherapy

If you’ve got small to medium varicose veins, such as “spider veins,” sclerotherapy might be a great option.

With this method, the veins are injected with a solution. This causes them to collapse and then get reabsorbed by the body and disappear. Sclerotherapy won’t cause the veins to fade immediately. Instead, it’ll probably take a few months for the full results to be seen.

Depending on the severity of your varicose veins, you might even need more than a single treatment for it to fully work. The good news is that this method is relatively painless and doesn’t require any downtime. So there’s no need to take off time from work.

In fact, walking and moving your legs around right after the procedure is vital to prevent any blood clots from forming. You’ll probably have to wear compression socks for a couple of weeks to keep some pressure on the veins that received treatment.

2. Phlebectomy or Vein Stripping

If you’re looking for a permanent solution for your varicose veins, then phlebectomy or vein stripping might be a great option. Phlebectomy or vein stripping is best for veins that are located very close to the surface of the skin. It’s also effective for veins that are bulging and bumpy on the skin’s surface.

For this procedure, you’ll need to have a local anesthetic administered to the affected area. Once the doctor has numbed the affected area, the surgeon will make small cuts near the vein and remove it. As such, this is a permanent solution to your varicose vein problems.

Once the vein is removed, compression stockings or bandages will be applied. There are no stitches needed, and you likely won’t even see any scars from the procedure.

Like sclerotherapy, you’ll be able to get up and walk around right away.

For best results, you might even want to combine phlebectomy or vein stripping with other varicose vein removal procedures.

3. Endovenous Laser Treatment

These days, it seems that laser treatment is available for a variety of medical and cosmetic procedures. And varicose veins treatment is no exception.

In fact, endovenous laser treatment is considered a great option for the treatment of varicose veins. It’s non-invasive, as no incisions or injections are needed. It can be done pretty quickly too, so it won’t take up half the day to complete.

Also known as thermal ablation, endovenous laser treatment involves the use of laser or radiofrequency energy. This heats up the inside of the vein, destroys the vein wall, and ultimately shrinks the vein. Over time, the body absorbs them.

The affected area will have to be numbed with local anesthesia because of the high amount of heat applied. The only issue that you may find with laser treatment is possible bruising at the site for about a week following treatment.

After about a week or two, you’ll notice the look of the veins diminishes dramatically.

4. Non-Thermal Ablation

Non-thermal ablation helps to shrink the varicose veins and cause them to be reabsorbed by the body. But there’s one significant difference: instead of heat, non-thermal ablation uses a drug or glue instead.

With the drug-related treatment method, the narcotic is applied to the vein to destroy it permanently. On the other hand, glue can also be used to close off the vein.

These procedures seem to be highly effective for the treatment of varicose veins. But they’re relatively new, so there aren’t many studies on them that back up their efficacy or potential complications.

Take Advantage of a Varicose Vein Removal Treatment Today!

Many people struggle with varicose veins. If your varicose veins have been a sore spot for you, varicose vein removal treatment might be the way to go. Depending on your exact situation, one particular treatment method might be better than the others.

At our clinic, you can be sure to get the best treatment possible from the most well-respected physicians. Dr. Dekker and Megan recently attended the 43rd Bi-Annual Congress for The Canadian Society of Phlebology in Montreal and are both members of this society. More specifically, Dr. Dekker just received his Fellowship with this well-renowned society.

Be sure to reach out to us today to find out which treatment is best for you and rediscover your best self!