Treatments - The Vein Company

How A Standing Desk Can Save You From Spider Veins

Posted on March 26, 2021July 24, 2023 by The Vein Company

With recent health studies finding concerns over excessive time sitting in a car or at a desk, standing desks have become a new trend in many workplaces.

Recent studies have linked too much time in a chair with everything from coronary disease to liver disease, and health experts are in agreement that too much sitting is not healthy.

But too much standing might also be a problem.

Finding a Balance Between Ecessive Sitting and Excessive Standing

Excessive periods of standing have long been known to be a contributing factor to the severity of varicose veins.

So how is a person supposed to deal with studies that show sitting is bad for your health in some areas while standing might cause its own share of health troubles?

Find a Good Balance

As with many health-related issues, the key is in avoiding the excessive and striking a good balance.

Stand-up desks are great for a lot of reasons, but standing all day is not the solution to the problems caused by sitting all day. Finding a happy medium is the right answer.

Many stand-up desks on the market can be raised or lowered. This allows people to avoid a situation where they stand or sit all day but can find a good balance. If you have a stand-up desk, you should take time during the day to find a place where you can have a seat.

The opposite is true, too. If you sit at a desk all day, it’s good to get and walk around or stand in place for a while.

Regular exercise, drinking plenty of water, and eating healthy are just as important as your choice to sit or stand. But you should realize that excess is often the problem. Regardless of your work environment, you should never sit all day or stand all day. Varying your routine is important and will make you more productive and healthier in the long run.

Asclera For Sclerotherapy

Posted on March 26, 2021July 24, 2023 by The Vein Company

One option for patients who have issues related to varicose or spider veins is a treatment known as sclerotherapy.

Varicose veins are essentially just bulging veins that have become incompetent. The way sclerotherapy works is by injecting a solution into the veins. The solution irritates the lining of the blood vessel and causes it to collapse.

Typically in sclerotherapy, the solution used is a hypertonic saline solution. While effective, the saline solution does have some drawbacks.

Drawbacks of Saline

Some patients express feeling some discomfort or stinging sensations when a hypertonic saline solution is used. Patients may also experience cramping during the process, and that cramping can be uncomfortable for patients.

Another drawback to the hypertonic saline solution is that it can cause some short-term or even lasting staining in the legs where the collapsed veins are. Obviously, for patients who are seeking treatment for varicose veins due to aesthetic issues, staining is an issue that causes concern for them.

Advantages of Asclera

Another option for sclerotherapy is Asclera. Asclera is a detergent solution that works in the same way as the hypertonic saline solution.

While Asclera is a higher-priced option than traditional hypertonic saline, Asclera carries some advantages that patients find are worth the extra cost.

For instance, Asclera does not cause any stinging sensations. Patients using Asclera have not reported any discomfort from cramping, either.

Also, Asclera leaves little to no staining, and for those patients who are concerned about the aesthetics of treating varicose veins, this can prove to be a very important issue.

Asclera may not be the right choice for all patients, but to avoid the issues related to using hypertonic saline solutions, it is definitely an option worth considering.

Consult With Your Physician About Sclerotherapy

Asclera is a premium product, and patients seeking treatment for varicose veins should consult their care provider to determine which route will be the best for them.

Endovenous Thermal Ablation

Posted on March 26, 2021August 21, 2023 by The Vein Company

Endovenous thermal ablation, also known as endovenous ablation, is a big-sounding name for a varicose vein treatment commonly called “laser therapy.”

Patients suffering from varicose veins or incompetent veins have a variety of options for treatment available to them, and one of the newer techniques utilizes a laser or high-frequency radio waves to create intense local heat in the varicose vein.

The use of radio waves or laser energy can cauterize and close the varicose veins in the legs.

Benefits of Endovenous Thermal Ablation

There are several reasons patients prefer endovenous thermal ablation over other kinds of treatments. The procedure offers a variety of benefits making it one of the most convenient choices available.

Minimally Invasive

Endovenous thermal ablation is less invasive than other kinds of treatments used to deal with varicose veins, and laser therapy leaves virtually no scars.

Pain Relief

Patients who are suffering from pain caused by varicose veins will find that endovenous thermal ablation can relieve them of the pain and discomfort of varicose veins.

No Scarring

Endovenous thermal ablation will also dramatically reduce the unsightly disfigurement caused by varicose veins, leaving patients with virtually no scarring or staining.

How Quick and Convenient is Endovenous Thermal treatment?

Endovenous Thermal laser therapy is a relatively quick treatment that can be performed in an outpatient setting with only local anesthetic. It treats varicose veins by damaging the walls of the incompetent veins, shrinking them, and closing them off so that blood cannot flow through the varicose vein.

How Does It Work?

The treatment requires mapping the vein with an ultrasound. After a local anesthetic is given, a thin fiber is inserted through a tiny entry point. The thermal energy or laser is delivered to treat the faulty vein.

Patients should plan to have a relative or friend drive them home after the treatment, but recovery time is very fast. Patients are typically encouraged to walk immediately following the procedure and normal daily activities can be resumed immediately.

Some patients may experience minor, temporary soreness and bruising, but that can be treated with over-the-counter, non-aspirin, pain relievers.

Take Back Your Legs From Varicose Veins

Posted on March 26, 2021August 22, 2023 by The Vein Company

What can you begin doing to help lessen the effect of your varicose veins?

Let’s just come out and say it. Varicose veins are the worst. They’re uncomfortable, there’s not a whole lot that you can do to make them completely go away naturally, and they make you self-conscious about your legs when there’s nothing else to wear but shorts in this southern heat. And while there are some cases where they can lead to more serious medical issues, for the most part, they’re just plain annoying. But there are things that you could be doing during your daily activities that may be making your varicose veins worse.

Keep Your Blood Flowing

Varicose veins and spider veins are caused when the valve in a vein is weakened, causing the blood to pool in the vein. This causes the veins to enlarge, and become visible below the skin. You’ll hear a lot that sitting for long periods of time can make your varicose veins worse, and that’s true. If you have a desk job, it’s best to get up and move around every hour or so just to keep that blood flowing. But it’s not just sitting that’s the problem. Standing for long periods of time is also a major contributor to spider and varicose veins. Basically, if you’re not getting your blood pumping, it’s hindering, instead of helping, the issue.

So when you’re at the office, don’t just stand up and stretch. Move around! Take a walk, even if it’s just to refill your water bottle. The movement will help, and it will make your legs feel less uncomfortable.

Lessen The Effect Of Your Varicose Veins By Elevating Your Feet

If moving around isn’t an option for you, make sure your feet are elevated when you’re seated. It’ll still get your blood going, even if you aren’t mobile.
Exercise is one of the main ways to prevent varicose and spider veins. So if you see them start to emerge, take your legs back, one step at a time.

Benefits of Sclerotherapy

Posted on March 26, 2021November 8, 2023 by The Vein Company

Why Sclerotherapy May be Your Best Option

Sclerotherapy is a proven medical procedure that has been used since the 1930s to eliminate spider veins and varicose veins. It is a quick and simple procedure with a proven success rate. If you have irritating varicose veins, sclerotherapy may be the treatment option for you.

Causes of Varicose and Spider Veins

Spider veins and varicose veins are swollen blood vessels that can be seen through the skin. They affect 80 million people in the United States and can be caused by several factors such as heredity, pregnancy, and other hormonal influences, a history of blood clots, or working in an occupation that requires standing for long periods of time.

Symptoms of varicose veins and spider veins affect the legs and include aching, cramping, tiredness, numbness, throbbing, burning, or tingling. Sometimes more severe complications can occur such as darkening of the skin, ulcers, or thrombosis.

Treating Veins With Sclerotherapy

There are many treatments for spider veins and varicose veins, but sclerotherapy is the most common for mild cases. During this procedure, a chemical is injected into the affected veins, which makes them collapse. This causes blood to move through healthier veins instead. The collapsed veins are then reabsorbed into the skin and fade completely within a few weeks. Depending on the size of the veins, 3-4 treatments are usually required.

Sclerotherapy has many benefits. Each treatment only takes about 15-30 minutes, and it’s almost painless. You can get back to your daily routine almost immediately. It is much less expensive than surgical methods and has a very high success rate of relieving the painful symptoms and ugly appearance of varicose veins and spider veins.

If you suffer from spider veins or varicose veins, consider sclerotherapy as a treatment option. You can contact us today to get a professional evaluation!

Home Treatments For Varicose Veins

Posted on March 26, 2021April 28, 2021 by The Vein Company

Varicose veins are defective veins that often appear bulgy and discolored. They are typically treated through minimally invasive procedures such as endovenous thermal ablation or other closure systems. In minor cases, however, varicose veins can sometimes be treated at home.

Keep in mind that at-home treatments are only advisable for people who are not experiencing serious or painful symptoms. These home treatments can relieve minor symptoms, slow down the progress of varicose veins, and prevent complications such as sores or bleeding.

Wear Compression Stockings

Compression stockings can improve blood circulation and relieve some symptoms of varicose veins. They fit tightest at the foot and gradually loosen as they fit higher up the leg. They most commonly help with swelling and aching. For very mild symptoms, you may want to try support pantyhose or knee-high socks.

Take Care of Yourself

In some cases, taking better care of yourself can relieve your symptoms. Self-care methods include:

Exercise
Maintaining a healthy weight
Elevating your legs
Avoiding long periods of sitting or standing

After an Injury

Scratching, bumping, or cutting over superficial varicose veins can sometimes cause minor bruising or bleeding. Small blood clots may also form in the vein. Most of these problems, however, can be safely treated at home.

If you bump your leg hard enough to cause bruising, elevate it and apply a cold compress as soon as possible for 1-2 hours. This may help minimize bruising.
Cutting or scratching the skin over the vein may cause abnormal bleeding. If this happens, elevate your leg and apply firm pressure with a clean bandage for 15 minutes. Check the cut every 15 minutes until the bleeding as stopped.

Blood Clots in Superficial Veins

Signs of blood clotting in superficial veins include tenderness and swelling over the vein. The vein may also feel firm. In the case of blood clots, you should visit your doctor and follow their instructions. Blood clots can be very serious and require expert medical advice.

For more information about varicose veins, check out our varicose vein treatment page.

*Author is not a doctor and does not claim to offer medical advice. Any and all information in the is article should not be treated as such. Please consult your physician for further information.

Different Treatments for Varicose Veins

Posted on March 25, 2021April 28, 2021 by The Vein Company

Having varicose veins and living with varicose veins are two very different things. They’re different for the fact that just because you’ve got them doesn’t mean you MUST live with them. With the technologies around today (and tomorrow!), there are many ways you can rid your body of varicose veins and relieve the pain and discomfort that they cause. Today we’ll outline a few methods employed to eliminate these pesky and oftentimes painful varicose veins.

Medical Procedures

There are a few procedures that can be done to remove or close your varicose veins. Now, don’t panic, the human body is an amazing creation. You can close veins in your body and the blood will find its way to the next vein and will travel through there from now on. Very seldom are problems caused by closing varicose veins.

Out of the procedures listed, you may be treated with one or more of them. Bruising, swelling, skin discoloration, or slight pain are all normal side effects.

Sclerotherapy

This method uses a liquid chemical to close off a varicose vein. Injecting the chemical into the vein causes irritation and subsequently, scarring. This results in the vein basically just fading away.

Normally used to treat smaller varicose and spider veins, this procedure can be done in your doctor’s office and requires very little recovery.

Typically done every 4 to 6 weeks, afterward, your legs will be wrapped to help promote healing and decrease the swelling.

Microsclerotherapy

A variation of sclerotherapy that is used to treat tiny varicose and spider veins.

A very small amount of liquid chemical is introduced into the vein using an ultra-fine needle. The same effect is achieved as normal sclerotherapy but on a microscopic scale.

Laser Surgery

This procedure is exactly what it sounds like. A laser is projected onto the vein(s) in question. The light from the laser effectively makes the vein fade away.

A non-invasive option, Laser surgery is mostly used for getting rid of small varicose veins. No injections or scalpels are involved with this procedure.

Endovenous Ablation Therapy

This type of therapy uses radio waves or lasers to essentially burn a vein so that it closes off.

Your doctor makes a very small incision in your skin close to the varicose vein. A catheter is then inserted into the vein. Towards the end of the vein, a small device heats up and closes off the vein.

A local anesthetic will be administered, but you’ll be awake during this outpatient procedure.

Endoscopic Vein Surgery

For this procedure, your doctor will make a tiny cut near a varicose vein. They will then use a microscopic camera towards the end of a thin tube to travel through the vein. A small surgical device at the camera’s end will then be used to close the said vein.

Though normally used in severe cases when varicose veins are causing sores, endoscopic vein surgery can be used for more intense varicose veins. Because this procedure is more invasive, recovery time is usually about 2 or 3 weeks to feel normal.

Ambulatory Phlebectomy

This specific method allows your doctor to simply use a scalpel or other small tools to cut the veins directly from your skin. This procedure normally takes place solely to remove the varicose veins that are extremely close to your skin.

A local anesthetic will be administered, but you’ll be awake during this outpatient procedure.

Vein Stripping and Ligation

Vein stripping with ligation is only performed in the most extreme cases of varicose veins. Much like a tubal ligation (tying your tubes), vein stripping and ligation require the surgeon to make small incisions into your skin, then tie the varicose veins into knots to essentially reroute the blood.

Anesthesia is typically recommended for this surgery, but an overnight stay is not normally required for vein stripping and ligation.

Recovery time for this procedure can vary from 1 week to a month, depending on the severity of the veins.