The dilated irritating veins that usually appear on the legs in women are known as spider veins. They are an indicator of poor circulation of blood in the body. The applicable care varies according to the severity of the veins. The basic treatment includes the following: elastic compression, sclerotherapy, elevation of the legs and preventive measures to avoid aggravation of the problem. For spider veins, sclerotherapy may be enough.

Treatment of spider veins usually needs to be repeated, usually every year or 2 years because new spider veins form. Sclerotherapy does not require anesthesia or recovery time and it is ideal for new spider veins. The doctor injects a solution into the affected small surface veins, which causes them to close.

The blood is forced to flow back to other non-spider veins. The sclerotic veins gradually subside. They do not usually leave traces. There is no problem in destroying the problematic veins since they no longer fulfill their functions.

For the treatment, microsclerotherapy is used – use of very fine needles for injection. Sclerotherapy may require treating the same vein several times but it usually works well. It does not prevent, however, the formation of new spider veins in neighboring veins. It is possible to treat spider veins of medium caliber by sclerotherapy. The doctor can then be guided by ultrasound imaging.

Spider Vein Treatment Melbourne: Surgery

Surgery is often preceded by an ultrasonic scan of the veins to determine the severity of the problem. Ambulatory veinotomy – during this procedure, the small affected veins are extracted by micro-incisions using a special hook. Local anesthesia is practiced.

Laser surgery – a variety of laser treatments are offered. One intervenes on the surface of the skin and inside the vein (endovenous laser). A laser fiber is inserted into the vein. The heat generated forces the vein to close on itself.

Venous surgery by endoscopy – this intervention is used in more serious cases and it requires anesthesia. It is performed using a tiny video camera that is inserted into the leg through a small incision to see and close the veins. These are then extracted by making small incisions.

Stripping – this classic procedure is used in severe cases: it involves extracting the affected veins of each leg by making small incisions. Depending on the age and severity of the problem, treatment may require hospitalization for 1 to 5 days followed by convalescence of 3 to 21 days.

Hemodynamic surgery – this operation reduces venous pressure without ablation. The affected superficial veins are ligated, forcing the blood to pass through the deep ones. The ligated veins are no longer filled, deflate on their own and become less visible.