What is the Top Advanced Varicose Vein Treatment?
Varicose veins are large swollen blood vessels that follow a twisted path, sort of resembling twisted and knotted ropes or tree trunks bulging out of the surface of your skin. They are caused by a circulatory disorder known as chronic venous insufficiency in which the vein valves malfunction, causing blood to accumulate in the lower leg veins. This, in turn, leads to vein dilation, which leads to the formation of varicose veins.
There are three types of varicose veins — tubular, reticular, and telangiectasia. Tubular varicose veins are the large trunk-like varicose veins bulging out of the skin, as described above. Reticular varicose veins are large reddish clusters of bulging varicose veins. And telangiectasia, also known as spider veins, are superficial varicose veins that don’t bulge out of the skin and don’t usually pose any greater risks.
While tubular and reticular varicose veins are always caused by underlying vein disease, telangiectasia may not be caused by underlying venous insufficiency. In order to seek effective treatment for varicose veins, it’s important to diagnose the root cause of your varicose veins.
Varicose veins cause considerable pain and discomfort and they also lead to excruciating social anxiety, which can affect the quality of your life. However, if left untreated, varicose veins can also have major physiological complications and side effects such as profuse bleeding, skin diseases, leg ulcers, and deep vein thrombosis. Vein disease progresses fast so you need to act fast and get treated.
In this article, we discuss the best varicose vein treatment procedures and we help you decide what is the top advanced varicose vein treatment for your needs.
Radiofrequency Ablation
Radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive and non-surgical procedure for varicose veins. During this procedure, the vein doctor inserts a catheter into the diseased vein under ultrasound guidance. The catheter generates radiofrequency energy (thermal energy) that heats up the vein walls and makes them collapse. The damaged vein walls turn into a scar tissue that gradually fades away. The accumulated blood inside the veins, meanwhile, reroutes to healthier veins.
Endovenous Laser Ablation
Endovenous laser ablation is similar to radiofrequency ablation, in terms of process. During this minimally invasive and non-surgical procedure, the vein doctor uses laser energy (instead of thermal energy) to destroy the vein walls and turn the diseased vein into a scar tissue that gradually gets absorbed by the body. The accumulated blood reroutes to healthier veins and restores smooth blood circulation to the heart. This procedure, however, is slightly more painful than other procedures because the vein doctor has to inject anesthesia all along the length of the saphenous vein.
VenaSeal
VenaSeal is the most advanced varicose vein treatment because it’s non-surgical, non-thermal, and non-tumescent. Basically, this treatment doesn’t require any incisions or cuts made, it doesn’t involve the use of heat so there’s no risk of burns, and it doesn’t require anesthetic application so there’s no post-procedural soreness. During this procedure, a simple medical adhesive is injected into the diseased vein to close it down. The accumulated blood automatically redirects to healthier veins and the diseased vein turns into scar tissue and gradually disappears.
Ambulatory Phlebectomy
Ambulatory phlebectomy is slightly different from the aforementioned varicose vein treatments because it doesn’t treat the underlying vein disease but rather the surface symptoms. During the procedure, an incision is made on the skin and the vein doctor physically removes the superficial varicose veins. Since this procedure doesn’t target the underlying problematic vein, it’s generally used to get rid of the surface varicose veins after the primary treatment is done.
Sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy is used to treat telangiectasia or superficial varicose veins. During the procedure, the vein doctor injects a salt solution sclerosant medicine into the surface veins to irritate the vein walls and make them shut down. Over time, the veins turn into scar tissues and gradually disappear. This procedure is also used to only treat the surface spider veins and varicose veins, not the underlying vein disease.
Advantages of Minimally Invasive Varicose Vein Treatments
In the past, the only way to treat varicose veins was through complex and invasive surgeries like vein ligation and venous bypass surgery. These procedures had a relatively low success rate, were highly invasive, and caused considerable pain and discomfort.
However, the aforementioned minimally invasive varicose vein treatments have numerous advantages:
- They’re minimally invasive in nature and cause minimal pain and discomfort. At most, you experience some post-procedural soreness because of the use of anesthesia.
- They’re all in-office procedures and they conclude within an hour.
- Minimally invasive varicose vein treatments don’t require any hospitalization and there’s no recovery downtime. Basically, you can get back to your daily activities immediately after the treatment.
- Radiofrequency ablation, endovenous laser ablation, and venaseal can also be used to treat the underlying vein disease and not just the symptoms. As such, they’re permanent treatments.
- They’re extremely safe with negligible risk of slide effects.
- They have a high success rate of 97% to 99% whereas vein surgeries only have a success rate of 85%.
Schedule an Appointment at an Advanced Varicose Vein Treatment Center
Spider Vein and Varicose vein Treatment Center, which works in conjunction with VIP Medical Group, is one of the best vein clinics in the country. We give you access to some of the world’s leading board-certified vein doctors who can treat varicose veins and the underlying vein disease within an hour. If you want to find out what is the top advanced varicose vein treatment for you, please schedule an appointment today.