Varicose Vein Removal - Cosmetic/Plastic Surgery

Varicose Vein Removal Abroad

Do you suffer from tired legs, foot tingling, leg numbness, and swelling? All of these symptoms could be a sign of a vein disease, which varicose vein removal and spider vein removal could improve.

What are varicose veins?

Varicose veins are gnarled, enlarged veins. Any vein may become varicose, but the veins most commonly affected are those in your legs and feet. That's because standing and walking upright increases the pressure in the veins of your lower body.

Which are the symptoms?

Varicose veins usually don't cause any pain. Signs you may have varicose veins include:

• Veins that are dark purple or blue in color
• Veins that appear twisted and bulging; often like cords on your legs

When painful signs and symptoms occur, they may include:

• An achy or heavy feeling in your legs
• Burning, throbbing, muscle cramping and swelling in your lower legs
• Worsened pain after sitting or standing for a long time
• Itching around one or more of your veins
• Skin ulcers near your ankle, which can mean you have a serious form of vascular disease that requires medical attention

What causes varicose veins?

Arteries carry blood from your heart to the rest of your tissues. Veins return blood from the rest of your body to your heart, so the blood can be recirculated. To return blood to your heart, the veins in your legs must work against gravity. Muscle contractions in your lower legs act as pumps, and elastic vein walls help blood return to your heart. Tiny valves in your veins open as blood flows toward your heart then close to stop blood from flowing backward.

Main causes:

• Age
• Pregnancy

Risk factors include:

• Age
• Sex
• Family History
• Obesity
• Standing or sitting for long periods of time

Can there be complications?

Complications of varicose veins, although rare, can include:

• Ulcers
• Blood clots

When to see a doctor for varicose veins removal?

Self-care — such as exercise, elevating your legs or wearing compression stockings — can help you ease the pain of varicose veins and may prevent them from getting worse. But if you're concerned about how your veins look and feel and self-care measures haven't stopped your condition from getting worse, see your doctor.

How can be varicose veins treated?

Fortunately, treatment usually doesn't mean a hospital stay or a long, uncomfortable recovery. Thanks to less invasive procedures, varicose veins can generally be treated on an outpatient basis.

• Sclerotherapy. This procedure uses a highly concentrated saline (salt) solution or a specially made detergent that is injected directly into the vein, causing the vein to disappear gradually over three to six weeks. The procedure is simple, relatively inexpensive, and can be performed in an outpatient setting.
• Endovenous laser treatment is a procedure in which a small laser fiber is inserted into the vein. Pulses of laser light are delivered inside the vein, which causes the vein to collapse. The procedure is done as an outpatient under local anesthesia.
• Radiofrequency occlusion. A small catheter is inserted into the vein. The catheter delivers radiofrequency energy to the vein wall, causing it to heat, collapse, and seal shut. The procedure is generally done in an outpatient or office setting, sometimes under local anesthesia.
• Surgery. Surgical techniques to treat varicose veins include ligation (tying off of a vein) and stripping (removal of a long segment of vein). Surgery may be performed using local, spinal, or general anesthesia. Most patients return home the same day as the procedure. Surgery is generally used to treat large varicose veins.
• Lasers and intense pulsed light. Surface laser or intense pulsed light treatments, such as Vasculight and PhotoDerm, are other options. These devices use heat energy to selectively damage or destroy abnormal veins. An advantage of these treatments is that no needles or sclerosing solutions are required; however, there may be some minor discomfort.

What are the prices for varicose vein removal?

The cost of vein stripping surgery ranges from $1,500 to $3,000 plus fees charged by the hospital or surgical center. Costs for EVLT (endovenous laser treatment) range from $600 to $3,000, depending on how much of the vein needs to be treated. Insurance may pick up part of the tab, however, if the varicose veins are painful or debilitating.

Who performs the varicose vein removal procedure?

An interventional radiologist, a doctor specially trained in the diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment of all types of venous disorders, can assess your clinical situation through a thorough history,a clinical examination and, in many cases, a duplex ultrasound examination of your venous system.

Varicose vein removal treatment takes about an hour with results of immediate relief of your symptoms. You can return to regular activity immediately with little or no pain.

Contact us and regain your beautiful, pain-free legs!