Conservative Treatment

There's no way to completely prevent varicose veins. But improving your circulation and muscle tone can reduce the risk of developing varicose veins or getting additional ones. To improve circulation and muscle tone:

• Compression stockings: Compression stockings are to be worn at rise and removed when going to bed. Wearing fitted graduated compression stockings is often the first approach to try before moving on to other treatments. They steadily squeeze your legs, helping veins and leg muscles move blood more efficiently.
• Exercise: Get the legs moving. Walking or cycling is a great way to encourage blood circulation in the legs. Please check with your physician before starting any exercise program.
• Control weight. Shedding excess pounds takes unnecessary pressure off the veins.
• Watch what one wears. Avoid high heels. Low-heeled shoes work calf muscles more, which is better for the veins. Don't wear tight clothes around the waist, legs or groin. Tight panty-leg girdles, for instance, can restrict circulation.
• Elevate legs. To improve venous circulation, take several short breaks daily to elevate legs above the level of the heart. For example, lying down with legs resting on three or four pillows.
• Avoid long periods of sitting or standing. Make a point of changing position frequently to encourage blood flow. Try to move around at least every 30 minutes.
• Don't sit with legs crossed. This position can aggravate circulation problems.
  

What is Compression Therapy?

Medically prescribed graduated compression stockings apply pressure to the legs to support weakened veins and help them pump blood from the legs to the heart. The resulting increase of blood flow reduces swelling, fatigue, and pain, and helps prevent a more serious condition from developing.

The calf muscle is the main pump to get the blood back to your heart. Compression stockings keep the calf muscle contracted to increase venous blood flow. Compression stockings also put pressure on the tissue under the skin to keep tissue fluid from accumulating and causing swelling. Graduated compression stockings deliver the most pressure to the ankle and decreases pressure as the stocking goes up over the calf or thigh. Having an increased squeeze lower on the leg means more support for the ankle, which usually swells worst because of the effects of gravity.

At first, wearers may feel apprehensive about the tightness or difficulty of putting on the stockings. However, after an initial adjustment period, wearing the stockings feels refreshing and leg symptoms may improve. Prescribed, graduated compression stockings are more effective than support stockings because they are tailored to individual needs. Support hose are not the same as graduated compression stockings. Support hose have the same elasticity along the entire length and may actually be harmful.

Individuals are measured to ensure proper fit and maximum effectiveness and comfort. Also, compression stockings are prescribed according to specific compression levels, depending on the individual. Compression stockings should be worn every day, for up to 16 hours per day. Each pair lasts about six months, after which time a new pair usually is needed. Return to Top

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What is EndoVenous Laser Treatment?

EndoVenous Laser Treatment is a quick, no surgery, no scar, minimally invasive procedure that eliminates varicose veins at the source. A laser fiber is fired inside and along the length of the faulty vein. The laser energy damages the vein walls, shrinking them closed so that blood can no longer flow through.

Advantages of Laser:
• Outpatient / office procedure
• Resume normal activities immediately
• Performed under general anesthetic
• Minimally invasive, no scarring
• Treatment takes about one hour
• Up to 98 percent success rate
• Covered by most insurance carriers, including Medicaid
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What is Sclerotherapy?
Sclerotherapy is a procedure that is performed in order to reduce the appearance of spider veins. Approximately half of all adult women are affected by these red, purple, or blue veins that appear on the thighs, calves and ankles. Not only are these veins displeasing to the eye, they can also cause physical pain, aching, burning, swelling, and night cramps. The sclerotherapy injection process is a procedure designed to diminish the appearance of currently visible spider veins. Sclerotherapy is a process of injecting a sclerosing agent into the spider veins of the lower extremities. This causes the treated veins to collapse and fade from view.

Prior to the sclerotherapy injection process, the patient’s veins will be mapped out using an ultra-sound machine to detect any backflow within the venous system. The sclerotherapy injection process itself takes about 15 to 30 minutes to complete. The patient will rest on the medical examination table and prepped for the sclerotherapy injection process. Once the site has been cleaned, the sclerotherapy injection process involves injecting the sclerosing agent into the affected vein areas. During the sclerotherapy injection process the patient is awake and normally feels nothing worse that a slight burning and/or pinching.

Advantages of Sclerotherapy:
• Gets rid of unsightly veins
• Normalizes skin blood flow and reduces venous hypertension
• No incisions, and no scars
• Does not interfere with normal activities
• Safe, visually painless, in office treatment 45 minutes
• Relief of symptoms is almost immediate

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What is Ambulatory Phlebectomy?

Ambulatory phlebectomy is a method of removing varicose veins on the surface of the legs. It is performed in the office under local anesthesia. Tiny punctures or incisions through which the varicose veins are removed. Skin incisions or needle punctures as small as 1 mm are used to extract veins with a phlebectomy hook. The incisions are so small no stitches are required. Veins are very collapsible such that even large veins may be removed through the tiny incisions used in this technique.

The procedure is well tolerated by patients and produces great cosmetic results. Long-term results are excellent as long as the highest source of reflux is eliminated as well. In contrast to sclerotherapy of large varicose veins, ambulatory phlebectomy minimizes the risks of intra-arterial injection, skin necrosis, and residual hyperpigmentation. Return to Top

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