Treatments for Varicose Veins
Lose Weight
In a majority of cases, varicose veins are caused by being overweight. The pressure of additional weight on your veins can cause them to form and continue to be painful. Being overweight can also lead to other health issues so losing any additional pounds can improve your overall health and well being.
Get More Active
A sedentary lifestyle can lead to painful varicose veins. If you work in an office or sit at home a lot, getting more active could be the treatment that reduces your pain and gets you back to normal. While exercise is helpful, you may not be able to do that during a workday but taking a five minute break every hour can help.
Avoid Tight Clothes
If you are frequently wearing tight clothes, you could be causing more problems for yourself. Overly tight clothing can put additional pressure on your veins causing more pain and even preventing them from healing. A simple wardrobe change could be the solution to getting rid of these pesky and painful veins.
Compression Stockings
While tight clothes typically need to be avoided, compression stockings have shown to be helpful due to the fact that they put consistent pressure on the skin helping move blood more effectively. This is also an affordable option as they cost very little and the results can be effective. They are available at most pharmacies.
Stop Crossing Your Legs
While it seems so simple, many of those suffering from varicose veins are doing things like crossing their legs when sitting down at home or work and this can contribute to pain. While it won’t completely get rid of them, not crossing your legs and keeping them elevated may provide temporary relief while you continue other treatments.
Sclerotherapy
For those who require medical intervention, Sclerotherapy has been shown to reduce the pain and even fade the veins after just a few weeks. This procedure is done by a doctor in an office setting and sedation is not required. It involves an injection or series of injections to the affected veins.
Ambulatory Phlebectomy
A more advanced therapy done my a medical professional, this treatment involves cutting into the vein and removing it through a series of skin procedures. After several treatments they are gone and scarring is minimal. This typically works on smaller veins. Persistent larger veins may require more advanced surgery if all else fails.