Varicose veins are enlarged and twisted veins that appear closely on the surface of your skin, usually on your legs and feet. They typically are not a threatening problem, but their appearance may cause concern for some people. While most people seek treatment for cosmetic reasons, in others, varicose veins cause bothersome symptoms such as muscle cramping and swelling. Mild varicose veins or spider veins improve with home treatments such as exercise and elevating the legs. If you have severe varicose veins, vein therapy Katy may help alleviate the symptoms and reduce the appearance of the damaged veins. Here is one of the treatments for varicose veins and spider veins.
Sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy is an effective treatment for small varicose veins; it involves injecting a solution into a vein. The solution causes the damaged vein to scar, redirecting blood to other healthier veins. Surrounding tissues absorb the collapsed vein, which eventually disappears. It may take a few weeks to a month for the veins to fade away after treatment. Other times you may need several treatments for optimal results.
Besides reducing the appearance of varicose and spider veins, sclerotherapy can also improve related symptoms such as swelling, burning, aching, and night cramps.
What are the risks?
The treatment is generally safe, but providers caution against pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. It is common to experience temporary side effects such as pain at the injection site, bruising, small skin sores, raised red areas, and darkened skin in the form of lines or spots. These side effects often fade within a few days to several weeks but may sometimes take months or years to disappear completely. The complications below are unlikely to occur, but when they do, treatment is necessary. They include:
- Allergic reaction. The solution injected into your veins may cause an allergic reaction; however, this rarely occurs.
- Blood clot. If a blood clot forms in the treated vein, your provider needs to drain it. Although rare, a lump of clotted blood may cause deep vein thrombosis when it travels into a deeper vein in your leg. Sometimes the blood clot can break through and travel to one of the blood vessels in the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism. When the clot blocks a vital artery, you may experience chest pains, breathing difficulties, dizziness, or coughing up blood. You should seek immediate medical care if you have symptoms of pulmonary embolism.
- Inflammation. The injection sites may be painful, appear swollen, and feel warm. These side effects usually improve with over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen and aspirin.
- Air bubbles. Tiny air bubbles may rise in your bloodstream; they usually cause no symptoms, but if they do, you may experience headaches, visual disturbances, nausea, and fainting. They require no treatment, but you want to call your doctor if you encounter problems with sensation or limb movement after the procedure.
What to expect during sclerotherapy
You will lie on your back with your legs slightly propped up; your doctor will clean the areas to be treated and insert a solution into the affected vein using a fine needle. The solution irritates the vein lining, causing it to swell shut and block blood flow.
If you have varicose veins or spider veins, visit your doctor at Elite dermatology for treatment to get rid of bothersome symptoms like night cramps.
