Written By: Emma Squillace
Varicose veins can be unsightly and painful. They are bulging, twisted, large visible veins that cannot go away on their own. In addition to often causing the skin to feel itchy, and the legs to feel heavy, these veins can also result in skin ulcers and wounds that have trouble healing. The good news is that while varicose veins are a true burden for many people, and can interfere with everyday life, they can also be treated. However, any type of medical treatment can sound scary, so let’s look at 4 fears our patients say they have about varicose vein treatment, and the truth behind these myths.
Myth: The treatment is a major surgery
We offer one surgical treatment for varicose veins, and this treatment is only used in rare cases where a vein is so badly damaged that surgery is necessary. The procedure is called ligation and stripping. However, for the majority of our patients, we do not even consider this surgical option. Instead, at West Medical we use lasers or injections to keep the vein treatments to the most minimally invasive, non-surgical options.
Myth: The treatment is painful
If you’ve heard about painful varicose vein treatment, you’ll probably remember a story you heard from someone who had surgery a while ago. Years and decades ago, treatment for varicose veins was painful for many people. This is in part because the treatments were so invasive. If an older relative in your family had varicose vein treatment, it may have been an invasive surgical procedure that pulled the vein out of the leg. Today, our treatment options are incredibly less invasive. We have treatments that are so minimal that we use just a little local anesthesia to make sure you are completely comfortable before a small laser treats the troublesome vein. In sclerotherapy, which we often use to treat spider veins, there is not even the need for local anesthesia.
Myth: The recovery and downtime are extensive
This is another myth that likely stems from vein treatments from the 1900s. People would have fairly extensive recovery periods after the more invasive varicose vein operations. However, today’s minimally invasive procedures allow you to walk out of our office and return to most jobs the next day. You can run errands, walk, and climb stairs right after your procedure.
Myth: The veins will probably come back
It is common for people to hesitate to treat a varicose vein because they worry it will return shortly after treatment. While most procedures have some possibility of recurrence, modern day procedures can be highly effective. For instance, laser varicose vein treatment has a 90 – 95% success rate, 3 years after the procedure is done.
If you have varicose veins, it’s easy to feel nervous about getting treatment. Whether you’ve heard horror stories from someone who had treatment a long time ago, or are unsure what the recovery will be like, we are happy to speak to you in detail. The most common feedback we hear from patients is “I wish I would have made this choice sooner!” West Medical has a range of minimally invasive treatments that can free you of the discomfort and dissatisfaction that come from having varicose veins. Our expert vein team is happy to answer any questions and can be reached at (855) 690-0565.