How to treat Varicose Veins?

Education on Varicose Veins, Veins, & Venous Insufficiency by world renown vascular surgeon Mitar Vranic DO owner of Western Vascular Institute.
Venous (Vein) disease treatments (Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment,
i. Varicose Veins - Varicose Veins are more than just a cosmetic issue. These large bulging and gnarled veins can cause pain as well as blood clots, skin ulcers and other serious problems. Our body has a system of veins that carry blood from the body tissues back to your heart. Once in the heart the blood is sent to the lungs to be oxygenated then delivered to arteries which take this oxygen rich blood again throughout your body. When the system of valves within the veins become “incompetent” and no longer push the blood upward toward your heart blood begins to pool within the vein. Because many veins are near the surface of the skin the pooling of blood creates visibly full veins that push outward creating the Varicose Vein.
Symptoms: Symptoms of Varicose Veins can be pain in the legs, itching, swelling, burning, leg heaviness or tiredness, & skin discoloration. Generally, symptoms worsen throughout the day (especially in hot temperature) when individuals are standing and the veins are having difficulty pumping the blood back to the heart.
Causes: Varicose veins are caused by weak or damaged valves in the veins that are not able to work properly against gravity and push the blood back up to the heart. This inability of veins to function properly is called venous insufficiency and is the main problem behind varicose veins. There are several potential causes for Varicose Veins and risk factors that an individual may be more likely to get them.
Risk Factors: Pregnancy, menopause age over 50, standing for long periods of time, sedentary lifestyle, obesity-which increases the pressure on the legs and makes it more difficult for the veins to pump the blood upward.
Diagnosis: Will be done during a physical examination while standing with a vascular surgeon. The physicians of Western Vascular Institute will also request that you have a Doppler ultrasound scan to check the blood flow in the superficial and deep veins.
Treatment:
a. Compression stockings: prescription grade compression stockings usually knee-high with 20mmHg-30mmHg of compression will help relive some of the symptoms of Varicose Veins and are generally required as conservative management for a period of 3 months before more aggressive treatments are considered.
b. Ablation therapy: After a 90 period if the more conservative therapy is unsuccessful at providing optimal relief ablation therapy is an option. Western Vascular Institute uses the Covidien Venefit (ClosureFast) Radio Frequency Ablation option for ablation therapy
c. Ambulatory Phlebectomy - minimally invasive procedure to remove varicose veins in the legs. In this procedure a very small incision is made in the skin at the tip of the large bulging vein and the vein is pulled out through the incision. This is procedure allows for speedy recovery and very little down time.
d. Sclerotherapy ( for Spider veins ) -using an ultrasound to direct the placement of a small needle the provider will inject a sclerosing agent into the spider vein that will help the vein break down naturally and be reabsorbed by the bodies natural processes.
Staying Healthy: to prevent getting more varicose veins make sure to maintain a healthy weight by eating a balanced diet and exercise. Avoid wearing high heels or shoes that put undue stress on your leg muscles. Also, avoid long periods of standing or sitting.