Veins have thin walls and contain one-way valves that help your blood flow in one direction. However, blood flow in the veins, particularly in the legs, must work against gravity and requires the skeletal muscle contractions to help pump it upwards. If the valves of the veins leak or fail, blood cannot flow efficiently and pools into the veins causing the walls to stretch, weaken and become swollen and twisted--resulting in varicose veins. The Vein Institute of Toronto mentions several types of treatments for varicose veins.
Compression Stockings
Compression stocking are recommended as a first approach to new varicose veins before other treatments are added. MayoClinic.com advises that wearing compression stockings daily helps to move blood in the leg veins more efficiently by gently squeezing the legs. Compression stockings should fit correctly and come in a variety of sizes. If varicose veins worsen, a physician may recommend other treatments. Compression stocking may be still be required after other varicose vein procedures to improve healing and to help prevent new varicosities from forming.
Sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy is a minor procedure for small varicose veins and spider veins in the legs. The Mayo Clinic explains that this procedure involves injecting the veins with a solution that scars them, causing the veins to close. This procedure usually does not require anesthesia and can be done in a physician's office. The treated veins are then absorbed by the body within a few weeks.
Endovenous Laser Treatment
Endovenous laser treatment or EVLT helps to eliminate superficial varicose veins rerouting the blood through normal deeper veins. ELVT is an outpatient laser procedure that does not require a hospital stay and is minimally invasive. The Vein Institute of Toronto explains that in this procedure, a physician inserts a thin catheter into the vein under the guidance of ultrasound imaging. Pulses of laser light then heat and seal the vein closed from the inside. ELVT leaves little or no post operative scarring as only a tiny nick is required in the skin to insert the catheter. The closed varicose vein is then absorbed by the body over the course of a few weeks.
Surgery
There are several surgeries for the treatment of varicose veins. The Vein Institute of Toronto notes that these more invasive procedures are usually performed if other treatments do not work or in very severe cases of varicose veins. Vein stripping is a traditional method and involves removing the varicose veins through small incisions in the legs. Abulatory phlebectomy is another procedure in which a doctor removes the vein through a small series of punctures in the skin. These types of surgeries for varicose veins require longer recovery times and can leave some scarring.
