Varicose Veins Specialist

What are varicose veins?

Varicose veins are enlarged, sometimes protruding veins that can be red, blue, or purple. They usually appear on your legs, although they can affect other areas of your body.

In the early stages, varicose veins might cause few issues other than being unsightly. However, as they worsen, you might begin to experience uncomfortable sensations like aching and heaviness in your legs.

The veins can become itchy, inflamed, and tender, and without treatment, can even lead to open wounds called ulcers that are painful and don't heal easily.

What causes varicose veins?

Varicose veins are a sign that there's something wrong with the valves inside your veins. These valves are part of a one-way system that ensures blood continues to flow around your body and back to your heart.

If anything damages the valves or they weaken over the years, they stop working properly, and blood starts to find its way back the way it came.

In your legs, that means that instead of all the blood traveling back to your heart from your feet, some of it gathers in parts of your veins. The result is the swollen, prominent varicose veins that show through your skin.

How are varicose veins treated?

If you notice varicose veins at an early stage, you can stop them from getting worse by taking good care of your legs. Losing weight, quitting smoking, exercising regularly, and avoiding standing or sitting for long periods are all good ways to improve vein health.

You can also use a compression hose, which helps push the blood in your legs back to your heart. If you find your varicose veins are causing you problems, Regenerative Spine and Pain Institute can help with a selection of advanced treatments, including:

Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy involves having a liquid called a sclerosant injected into the affected vein. The sclerosant irritates the varicose vein and causes it to collapse, so blood can't get through. Your body then takes over, rerouting blood through healthy veins and gradually absorbing the collapsed vein.

Endovenous laser therapy

Endovenous laser therapy (EVLT) is a different method of achieving a similar result to sclerotherapy. In this procedure, your provider at Regenerative Spine and Pain Institute uses light energy in the form of a highly focused laser beam to heat up your varicose veins. As with sclerotherapy, the vein collapses and eventually disappears.

If your varicose veins are troubling you, these simple, minimally invasive treatments can soon have your legs looking and feeling healthy again. Call Regenerative Spine and Pain Institute today to find out more or book an appointment online.