Interest in laser treatment for spider veins and varicose veins is rising more than ever because of its minimally invasive nature and effectiveness. You can get amazing results with the laser treatment depending on the severity of your vein problem. It relieves the pressure that you feel from varicose veins and treats the blood vessels that are resistant to sclerotherapy treatment. This is why you should consider laser treatment as a primary option for your vein problems.
So how does varicose vein treatment with laser work? The current technologies have gone beyond the pulsed dye lasers of yesteryear and now longer wavelengths are used to achieve the best results possible. Your vein doctor will choose the type of wavelength and duration to be used for the procedure depending on the size and type of vein to be treated. Patients will experience zero pain and no required medication.
What Causes Varicose Veins?
Those blue and red veins are usually found in the legs and are primarily caused by faulty valves and enlarged and weakened vein walls. When these veins become painful, you may need treatment for spider veins and varicose veins. Other causes of the appearance of these veins are heredity, prolonged standing, and lifestyle habits. Symptoms include pain, heaviness, fatigue in the legs, burning sensation on the skin, and leg throbbing.
Learn More: When To Worry About Varicose Veins?
Why Is Laser Treatment for Varicose Veins Needed?
A laser is a highly focused light beam that doctors can use for varicose vein treatment. The heat from the laser damages the vein, which results in the formation of scar tissue. The scar tissue then closes the vein. A closed vein eventually dies because it loses its blood source. The vein will likely disappear after a year or two.
Laser therapy has been proven safe and effective for improving the appearance of varicose veins. There’s little to no discomfort involved and there’s no downtime. This healthy vein treatment can be used for both small and large veins.
How do you know if you need laser vein treatment for your varicose veins? Lighter cases of vein problems can be solved with lifestyle changes and wearing compression stockings. But when these don’t work anymore, you may benefit from getting medical vein procedures.
Your vein doctor may recommend laser treatment or even vein surgery if you’re experiencing severe pain because of your leg veins or if you have skin problems and blood clots. You can also opt to have one if you just simply want to improve the appearance of your legs.
Learn More: What Are The Options For Varicose Vein Surgery?
Kinds of Laser Treatment for Varicose Veins
Laser treatment for varicose veins has two main types. Simple laser treatment is done on the outer part or outside of the patient’s skin, so you can be sure that it’s effective on the tiny varicose veins and spider veins under your skin’s surface. Patients usually require more than one laser treatment session to get the best results. Sessions for varicose vein removal are scheduled every 6 to 12 weeks.
Endovenous laser treatment is better for treating larger varicose veins. This is done using laser fiber that will be passed through a thin tube or a catheter into your vein. Your doctor will watch the vein on a duplex ultrasound skin while he does the procedure.
Compared to vein ligation and stripping, laser treatment is less painful and requires a shorter recovery time. You only need local anesthesia or a light sedative during the procedure to treat the affected vein.
Risks Involved in Laser Treatment for Varicose Veins
Treatment has been proven safe for varicose vein treatment laser, but just like any other cosmetic treatment, it comes with its own set of risks. Some of the side effects include skin burns, changes in skin color, sensations of pain, burning, prickling after recovery from nerve damage, and small and large blood clotting in the diseased vein or deep vein.
Keep in mind though that they’re less likely to happen in laser treatments compared to vein stripping surgery. Your vein doctor will make sure that you’re well aware of the risks and assure that these happen rarely.
What You Can Expect After You Get Laser Treatment for Varicose Veins
Recovery time for laser treatment for varicose veins is typically short and you’ll be able to walk right after the session. You can safely resume your normal routine after a simple laser treatment. If you had an endovenous procedure, you have to wear compression stockings for at least a week while you recover.
During this primary period, you can’t get your legs wet so you’ll be advised on the proper way to bathe. For pain and discomfort, ibuprofen is enough for relief.
If you’re having laser treatment just to relieve the symptoms of your varicose veins, you probably don’t need further treatment. But for those who wish to further improve the appearance of their legs, additional treatment may be needed. The veins will become less obvious after the initial treatment but they rarely disappear totally.
For additional vein disease treatments, your doctor may recommend avulsions or sclerotherapy. You can get these treatments during the time of your laser treatment or 4 to 6 weeks after your session. The latter is the likely option if you have an extension varicose vein in both legs.
Avulsion involves making small incisions over the treated vein and teased out using a crochet hook. These small incisions heal easily without stitches, and the risk of scarring is minimal. Foam sclerotherapy is used to deal with residual varicose veins after laser treatment.
Choosing the Right Procedure
This will depend on your vein doctor or vascular specialist. Most of them will recommend leaving your veins alone if you’re not bothered by the appearance or if they’re not causing you considerable pain and discomfort. You can just wear light compression stockings to relieve leg vein symptoms and improve blood flow.
If you prefer to seek additional treatment for your damaged vein but don’t need surgery for vein removal, minimally invasive procedures such as lasers are the best options. Those who have less extensive veins and prefer the least invasive option can go for foam sclerotherapy.
Radiofrequency ablation is suited for those larger varicose vein or a long and wide straight segment of the vein in need of treatment. This is suited for approximately 70% of patients. Meanwhile, the endovenous laser ablation is suitable for almost all patients. It uses methods and produces results that are almost the same as radiofrequency ablation.
Treat Your Venous Insufficiency Without Surgery at Vein Center Doctor
Laser vein therapy is just one of the safe and effective procedures offered by Vein Center Doctor, the preferred vein specialist in New York and New Jersey. This full-service vein treatment facility offers outpatient vein treatment services, from diagnosis to aftercare, with high success results.
You get sure results for laser vein removal and spider vein treatment with their use of treatments such as endovenous laser therapy, endovenous ablation, radiofrequency treatment, vein ligation, and ambulatory phlebectomy. Call Vein Center Doctor now to schedule your appointment for varicose vein laser treatment.
