According to statistics published by the U.S. Office of Women’s Health, half of people over 50 years of age suffer from varicose veins, with as many as 55% of women in the United States reporting some kind of abnormal vein issue. It’s an exceedingly common medical condition, and one whose repercussions can be felt physically, emotionally, and even socially as embarrassment causes you to miss warm-weather outings that you would otherwise enjoy. Fortunately, there are treatments available in the form of sclerotherapy. To understand how it works, however, you must first understand how varicose and spider veins form and function.
Varicose veins, simply put, are veins that have become enlarged. They occur most commonly on the lower extremities, where blood must fight the pull of gravity on its way back to the heart. While your veins have built-in valves that help the blood along its course, the valves can be weakened or damaged due to age, pregnancy, or certain other medical conditions. While usually more of a cosmetic concern, they can sometimes cause pain, heaviness in the limbs, or difficulty standing for extended periods of time.
Spider veins sometimes accompany varicose veins, but can also occur on their own. They are closer to the surface of the skin, but aren’t raised like varicose veins. Instead, they are noticeable because they are brightly colored, usually red, purple, or blue, and appear as jagged, zigzagging lines. They are also caused by a backup of blood and weakened capillary walls, and also more commonly (although far from exclusively) appear in people over 40 and pregnant women.
Knowing how these conditions occur is important, but if you’re suffering from them, you are probably more interested in knowing how to treat them. That’s where sclerotherapy comes in. A solution is injected into the problem vein that causes it to shrink, after which it is harmlessly dissolved and absorbed into the body. It’s a technique that has been practiced since the 1850s, although the effectiveness of the treatment has greatly improved with the advance in medical technology since then. Modern procedures are non-invasive, and in some cases take as little as 10 minutes to complete.
There are things you can do at home to decrease the severity of abnormal leg veins, including regular exercise, low-salt diets, and compression socks. However, sclerotherapy remains one of the most effective ways to treat existing spider and varicose veins. Laser therapy has emerged in recent years as a potential alternative, although it is not viable for certain skin types and colors. As with any medical condition, only your doctor can tell you what procedure suits your body and medical history. But if it is right for you, you can look forward to a quick, simple procedure that will allow you to regain your confidence in your appearance. If you’re hesitant, take some time to look online and find communities of people who have your same condition. Take a time to read their life stories and see if anything they’ve said relates to you.