How Do You Get Varicose Veins?
Varicose veins are a common condition, and avoiding them can be difficult. Factors that cause your leg veins to weaken and stretch include:
- Sitting or standing for extended periods
- Lack of physical activity
- Obesity
- Genetics
- Female gender
- Pregnancy
- Smoking
As you can see, several lifestyle changes can reduce your risk of developing varicose veins. Becoming more active, moving frequently throughout the day, and quitting smoking can have a significant effect. However, factors like genetics play a strong and unavoidable role.
Once healthy veins have transformed into varicose veins, they cannot return to their normal state. The only way to eliminate these bulging veins is through treatment. While varicose veins may not be a health problem, they can indicate a problem with the deeper leg veins. Venous duplex ultrasound lets Dr. Craig Schwartz diagnose and treat the underlying causes of your vein problems.
How are Varicose Veins Treated
Our owner and medical director, Dr. Craig Schwartz, a triple-board certified vascular surgeon, will develop a treatment plan based on your needs. It may include a single or multiple types of treatment, depending on the results of your in-office diagnostic ultrasound testing. Most commonly, the Great Saphenous Vein (GSV), the longest vein in the leg that often becomes stretched and damaged, will need to be treated, and he will then follow this by addressing problematic visible veins.
Conservative Vein Treatment
Some people can achieve symptom relief with compression garments and lifestyle changes. Insurance companies typically require a trial of conservative treatments before proceeding to medical ones. These methods will not correct the underlying cause and will usually not provide long-term relief.
Endovenous Laser Ablation
This gold standard treatment for treating vein disease uses a thin laser fiber inserted into the problem vein. This fiber emits pulses of laser energy that target the vein walls, causing damage that will collapse the vein. Your blood will flow through healthier veins which will adjust to accommodate this change. Closing the diseased GSV will restore normal blood flow through your legs and heal the major vein that is causing the reflux and related bulging veins or symptoms
Ultrasound-guided Sclerotherapy
Dr. Schwartz often uses this technique to treat varicose veins beneath the surface and not visible to the naked eye. This treatment can be used after EVLA to treat “feeder” veins that were flowing into the GSV. Via ultrasound guidance, Dr. Schwartz inserts a small needle into the vein, injecting a sclerosing solution. This chemical damages the inside of the vein, causing it to collapse.
Ambulatory Phlebectomy
This treatment removes the visible bulging veins most associated with varicose veins through freckle-sized incisions in the skin. Tiny hooks are used to extract the vein, causing it to disappear immediately instead of waiting weeks for it to fade.
