Varicose vein surgery is known as vein stripping and is done to remove varicose veins in the legs. Medline Plus defines varicose veins as veins in the legs that are swollen and painful because of filling with blood. It reports that valves in the different veins in the legs keep the blood flowing forward ensuring that the blood does not collect in one place. However, in varicose veins these valves get damaged and the veins become filled with blood. Surgery can be done to correct this damage, but certain risks are involved with it, reports Medline Plus.
Bruising or Scarring
Medline Plus says that bruising and scarring may occur due to varicose vein stripping. Bruising occurs when the blood vessels get damaged during the surgery and begin to bleed into the skin. There may be pain and swelling on the skin and the calf muscles. Vein stripping may also leave scars at the surgical site which may be temporary or permanent. Although scars may occur, they usually fade over time and are also less visible than the varicose veins, reports the website for the State Government of Victoria, Australia. There may also be a brown staining of the skin, but this usually tends to fade over time.
Nerve Injury
Nerve injury is another risk involved in varicose vein stripping, reports Medline Plus. Injury to the nerve may be permanent and can make you experience numbness or a pins and needles sensation in the area around the injured nerve, reports the website for the State Government of Victoria, Australia. Even if these patches of numbness recover over time, they may take up to two years.
Return of Varicose Veins
Medline Plus says that the varicose veins may come back. Although the surgery is safe and effective, there is a chance that the varicose veins may come back, even after you undergo vein stripping for their removal.
Other Complications
Certain other complications may occur due to varicose vein stripping. There may be swelling in the feet and ankles, which may take some time to subside. Infection may occur at the site of the surgery, especially if skin ulcers are present. There is also a danger of blood clot formation within the deep veins.
