For individuals who are unhappy with the appearance of their veins, there are a few vein treatment options that can address their concerns. Historically, vein treatment was a much more difficult process than it is today. Spider veins had to be injected with a solution, and varicose veins were removed by a process known as ‘vein stripping.’ Vein stripping involves making two incisions in the leg in order to tie off the vein and remove the varicose vein permanently. Thus, the vein stripping treatments involved scarring, downtime and invasive surgery. Luckily, modern technology has enabled doctors to treat spider and varicose veins with a much less invasive, less painful method that has absolutely no down time: laser vein removal
For varicose veins, laser vein removal involves inserting a tiny catheter into the vein, and using laser energy to obliterate the varicosity. The vein will permanently close up, and the effects of laser vein treatment are immediate – patients will notice that the heaviness, pain and bulging, twisted appearance are gone as soon as the treatment is completed. Patients can immediately return to their normal activities, and over the course of a few months the blue color of the vein will also disappear, leaving no trace of the former varicose vein. Spider veins, which were difficult to treat in the past simply due to their small size, can also be treated with lasers. Unlike varicose veins, spider veins do not even require a catheter inserted for treatment to be effective. The laser is simply pointed at the area with the spider veins and the energy targets the spider vein and broken capillaries to close them permanently.
