Varicose veins can have a range of effects on our patients. Their appearance can make you feel self-conscious. You may even worry that they could be a symptom of a greater, more serious issue. Some varicose veins go beyond cosmetic concerns; they can be uncomfortable, itchy, or even painful. Patients have even felt burning sensations around the affected area.
No reason is too small for treating varicose veins, but treatments can feel daunting, especially if your case is severe enough to warrant invasive treatment—one that goes beyond conservative vein therapy. Here’s what you can expect when you seek treatment for your varicose vein, and what your recovery will look like.
Multiple treatments for varicose veins may be used across a spectrum of cases. Some cases require different procedures. For example, smaller veins are treatable with ambulatory phlebectomy—in which doctors numb the affected area and the veins are removed via small punctures. This outpatient procedure usually causes minimal scarring, but for those who want to avoid incisions or injections, laser treatment is another option for smaller varicose veins. Laser treatments involve shooting a beam of light into the affected area instead.
Doctors will recommend sclerotherapy for small or medium cases of varicose veins. During sclerotherapy, a special foam is injected to close the vein. Over the next few weeks, the veins should fade away slowly. Larger cases will rely on catheter-assisted procedures, in which a tube is inserted into the large vein. The catheter tube is heated with radiofrequency or laser energy, and, while the catheter is pulled out, the heat destroys and collapses the vein.
Meanwhile, vein stripping ties off the area before it joins with a deep vein, and then removes it using small incisions on the numbed area. In some advanced cases, varicose veins can result in leg ulcers, and that is when endoscopic vein surgery may be necessary. This is a last resort in case other procedures have yielded no result.
Depending on their case, recovery looks different for every patient. While all of these procedures range in results, all of them are outpatient—or ambulatory—surgeries. You can get back to your daily activities the same day you treat your varicose veins. The areas are numbed during many of these procedures, so you will not require anesthesia. You will also see similar characteristics across various treatments as your doctor details your recovery steps.
For smaller procedures, doctors will prescribe compression stockings or bandages to maintain the treated veins and bring down swelling. You may be advised to avoid strenuous activity or exercise, but your doctor will definitely recommend that you get up and walk around during your recovery. Walking is essential during recovery to ensure no blood clots will form in or around the treated area.
Even more serious procedures will also allow you to resume your daily activities, with a few mindful precautions to stay aware of. Heavy lifting and strenuous exercise will be discouraged for about one week. A procedure involving injections or incisions will require that you keep the affected area and limb clean and dry for at least five days. This will not only ensure healing, but also prevent infection. This will sometimes be paired with an antibiotic. You can take ibuprofen up to three times a day to help with any post-procedure inflammation, discomfort, or pain.
Recovery is an easy process following your procedure, and typically can take up to two weeks. Your veins do plenty of work when you are receiving treatment and in recovery, so sometimes patients will see bruising in a treated area, or bumps beneath the skin if the vein was removed. These issues are usually resolved during your recovery time.
Are you in the Walnut Creek, Berkeley, Concord, Antioch, Brentwood, Castro Valley, Alamo, Oakland, or East Bay areas and interested in treatment for varicose veins? BASS Vein Center can help. Contact the team today to learn more about these treatments for varicose veins.
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