VARICOSE VEINS AND SPIDER VEINS

Varicose veins and spider veins are uncomfortable problem that many people, especially women suffer from. It is estimated that between 20% and 25% of women, and 10% to 15% of men suffer from varicose and spider veins worldwide. This translates to tens of millions of people in the United States alone.

Spider veins are small red, purple, or bluish veins located just below the surface of the skin. They can have a linear or spider web-like appearance. Varicose veins are unusually enlarged veins located deeper under the skin. Varicose veins can also protrude slightly over the skin surface leaving in a rope-like appearance.

Hereditary factors play the most important role in determining whether you will develop varicose veins and spider veins. Other factors that may accelerate the appearance of varicose or spider veins include:The aging process, obesity, prolonged standing or sitting, constipation, leg trauma and congenital conditions

There are various choice of spider and varicose veins. Conservative treatment is wearing graduated compression stockings (tighter at the ankle than the thigh). Although this may not get rid of any existing varicose and spider veins in your legs, your symptoms laptop batteries related with vein problems can be greatly bettered by wearing support stockings. Support stockings can also help slow the advancement of leg vein problems.

There also one therapy called sclerotherapy. Sclerotherapy involves a series of injections using a tiny needle to administer small amounts of a solution (sclerosant) into the vein. The solution irritates the inner lining of the vein causing it to collapse and finally disappear. Depending on the severity of your vein problem as well as the types of veins being treated, you may need one or laptop battery several treatment sessions. Sclerotherapy is performed as an in-office procedure and should cause only minimal soreness. Following treatment, you can return to your normal daily activities. After treatment, external compression is applied to the treated areas and you may need to wear elastic bandages or support stockings for a couple days, which will aid in the closure of your treated veins. Bruising at the injection sites is normal following treatment and will resolve in 1 to 2 weeks.

Surgical removal (also called ligation and stripping) of the main vein in the leg near the surface of the skin (the greater saphenous vein) may be necessary in some patients with large varicose veins with reflux. This procedure is usually performed under general anesthesia, although local or spinal anesthesia may be used. When properly performed, the greater saphenous vein is removed from the groin to the knee through small (usually two) incisions using a special instrument. Most patients return home the same day and are encouraged to walk immediately following the procedure. Normal daily activities can be resumed within a couple of days.

A variety of laser and light source therapies are currently available. Delivery of laser energy is designed to cause exclusive heating and later closure of the blood vessel without causing damage to the overlying skin. Although many lasers have been highly effective in the treatment of facial spider veins, laser treatment of leg veins has proven to be more challenging. Despite the fact that recent advances in this technology have shown promise, compression sclerotherapy remains the best treatment for most unwanted leg veins. As a result, lasers are still best used only as a complementary treatment in a select group of people.