Options for Treating Varicose and Spider Veins

By Shelley Wake

Treatments for varicose and spider veins once involved invasive procedures that required hospital stays and that often resulted in pain and scarring. Now, the options have increased with various new procedures available.

These new treatments do not require hospital stays, require either only local anesthesia or no anesthesia, and are generally quick treatments that individuals recover quickly from, often resuming normal activity immediately.

Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy is a treatment used for removing spider veins and small to medium varicose veins and is the most common method of treatment. In this treatment, a solution is injected directly into the vein. This solution expands and hardens in the vein. The vein is effectively closed off and dies. Sclerotherapy does not require anesthesia, normally takes less than an hour, and normal activity can be resumed immediately. It usually takes around two weeks for the benefits of the therapy to be seen, with the dying veins often appearing worse initially.

Ambulatory Phlebectomy

Ambulatory phlebectomy is a treatment used for removing large varicose veins. In this treatment, pinhole incisions are made in the skin just above the unhealthy veins. A tiny hook is inserted through the pinhole, attached to the vein, and the vein is extracted. The pinhole incisions made do not require stitches and do not usually leave any scars. The patient resumes normal activity the next day. This procedure is done as a day procedure under local anesthetic.

Endovenous Laser Therapy/Endovenous Radiofrequency Therapy

In endovenous laser therapy, a thin laser fiber is inserted into the vein through a small incision. The laser energy is then directed at the internal surface of the vein in pulses, causing it to heat up, shrink, and close off. Endovenous radiofrequency therapy involves the same process, except radiofrequency energy is used instead of laser energy. Both procedures are done under local anesthetic, normally take less than an hour, and normal activity can usually be resumed immediately.

Laser Treatment

Laser treatment is used for small varicose veins and spider veins. The procedure is non-invasive and uses a laser which is directed at the vein from above the surface of the skin. The energy from the laser light heats the vein, which causes it to shrink and close itself off. This treatment does not require anesthesia and normal activity can be resumed immediately.

The options available for an individual will depend on the types of varicose veins and the individual's medical history. General practitioners, cosmetic surgery clinics, and specialist varicose vein clinics can provide further information.