Varicose veins are those large, blue, gnarled veins that lie under the skin and look like bumpy snakes. Varicose veins affect both men and women. They may also manifest as “spider veins”, which are a more delicate form of varicose veins that show up as delicate red or blue tracings on the skin surface.
Both varicose veins and spider veins result when valves designed to keep blood from flowing backwards away from the heart and into the leg fail or become loose and flabby. The resultant backward blood flow stretches veins and slowly leaks into the ankle and leg tissue, causing swelling.
Apart from the ugly look, varicose veins can throb or cramp at night. The large amount of blood that pools into the legs causes the latter to become heavy and leaden. If clear fluid seeps into tissues, it can choke off circulation to the skin, causing an itchy rash or even a painful ulcer.
Earlier, the only treatment for varicose veins was surgery. Today, however, there are several nonsurgical treatments for varicose veins. In this article, we’ll talk about how to treat varicose veins painlessly and without surgery.
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Compression Stockings
These are specially designed to apply pressure to your lower legs. They help maintain blood flow and boost circulation in your legs. They also prevent blood from pooling in your veins and diminish leg swelling. They help prevent venous ulcers and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in your legs. You should wear compression stockings as prescribed by your vascular surgeon during the day and remove them at night.
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Endovenous Laser Treatment (EVLT)
Your surgeon will first determine and confirm all your weak veins, using a Duplex Ultrasound Scan. He will then determine the best place to insert the catheter. You will be asked to wear protective glasses, as laser is used during this procedure. Once the location and extent of the varicose veins is determined, your surgeon will clean, shave, and numb this area with a local anaesthetic.
Once this is done, a small incision is made and a catheter and guide-wire are inserted into your skin. A laser fibre is passed through the catheter until it extends about 1 to 2 centimetres from the end, when it is secured in place. The laser energy seals the faulty vein and redirects blood flow to the healthy veins. This entire process takes approximately an hour and is minimally invasive, with the patient experiencing little or no pain. After the procedure, your vascular surgeon may perform an Ultrasound to ensure that the main vein is completely closed and to determine the success of the procedure.
- Injection Sclerotherapy and Microsclerotherapy: Injection Sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive procedure, wherein your surgeon uses a very fine needle to inject a sclerosant into the affected vein. This sclerosant is a solution that irritates the vein walls, which causes the vein walls to swell and close permanently. This procedure may require repeat treatments but is quick to perform and requires very little downtime. Microsclerotherapy uses the same process but is typically used to treat spider veins.
- Ambulatory Phlebectomy: This procedure treats surface varicose veins, which are medium-to-large in size. Your surgeon will administer local anaesthesia at the site to numb the entire area. He will then make tiny incisions in the skin using a special set of tools to remove the affected veins. The incisions are so small that stitches are not required.
- Venous Ablation: During this procedure, a tiny catheter is inserted into the vein through a tiny cut on the skin. Through this catheter, radiofrequency (RF) or laser energy is delivered to the vein wall. This causes it to heat, collapse, and seal shut. Once the diseased vein is sealed shut, other healthy veins take over to empty blood from your legs.
- Superglue Treatment: This is also called Venaseal, and it relies on sticking the walls of the vein together using a medical grade Superglue. This procedure is carried out through one tiny skin puncture and is relatively painless. This is a relatively new technique.
- Clarivein: This works by a combination of a rotating wire that scratches the vein wall, as well as the injection of a chemical sclerosant at the same time. This combination works better than sclerosants alone. This works best when the affected vein is not too long.
- Thermocoagulation: This is a relatively new treatment for very small spider veins. This can be used to treat spider veins or thread veins on the face, as well as on the legs and on other parts of the body.
- Embolisation: This is a technique that has been used by interventional radiologists and vascular surgeons for many years. It involves the deliberate blocking of veins by passing a catheter into the blood vessel. This catheter is guided using sophisticated X-ray equipment and is undertaken when the patient is awake and only under a local anaesthetic.
- Transluminal Occlusion of Perforators (TRLOP) Treatment: While the main veins can be treated by EVLT, sometimes the perforator veins are affected. These perforator veins directly communicate between the veins lying deep in the legs and those lying on the surface of the leg. The TRLOP technique destroys these perforator veins using laser energy.
At the Flow Vascular Clinic, Dr. Abhilash Sandhyala is not only well-versed in the very latest nonsurgical techniques for the treatment of varicose veins, but carries them out in a patient-specific and holistic manner. He will work with you right from the first consultation to the actual procedure, by choosing a procedure that is right for you.
He is especially adept at performing the EVLT procedure, which results in a satisfactory resolution of your varicose veins. By choosing Dr Abhilash Sandhyala, you avoid the complications that may arise due to the procedures used to treat varicose veins. So, if you have varicose veins and need treatment, you can safely consult Dr. Abhilash Sandhyala and rest easy, knowing you are in good hands!
For more information about the nonsurgical and surgical treatment of varicose veins, as well as the treatment for DVT, or other vascular conditions, contact Dr. Abhilash Sandhyala at (+91) 9989649498 or 9959033037, or at contact@drabhilash.com or visit our website.