Why You Should Never Ignore Leg Swelling
Leg swelling might come from something passing and not harmful, but it could also signal a serious health condition. To make sure it’s not the latter, seek medical care when you notice swelling in your legs.
A specific variety of varicose veins, spider veins get their name from their cobweb-like appearance. Anyone who has suffered from spider veins knows that this condition is always unsightly and often painful.
The result of intravenous trauma or damage, spider veins arise as a result of vein bruising (the swelling and/or discoloration of venous tissue). Even the smallest and most innocuous-looking spider veins may also be signs of a lack of proper blood flow – a condition called venous insufficiency.
Although they can cause problems that range from painful itching, burning, and throbbing to leg restlessness, fatigue, heaviness, and cramping, the most prevalent symptom of spider veins is also the most common reason for their treatment or removal: the appearance of spindly, spider web-like lines that mark the skin with unattractive red, blue, or purple lines.
Thanks to ongoing advancements in the field of modern medicine, patients who suffer from spider veins can now choose among multiple treatment options. The preferred medical procedure for this condition is sclerotherapy.
A non-invasive treatment that has proven effective on varicose veins of all sizes, sclerotherapy has proven particularly useful for the treatment of spider veins. It can be performed right in your doctor’s office under local anesthesia. Minimally invasive, sclerotherapy requires only a few injections with a relatively small hypodermic needle. The entire procedure is generally completed in a matter of minutes, and patients can generally go back to normal daily activities right away.
Sclerotherapy involves your doctor injecting affected veins with a chemical solution that causes them to collapse inward upon themselves and, ultimately, to reabsorb into surrounding body tissue. The blood that formerly flowed through these veins is naturally rerouted to healthy veins nearby.
As long as a spider vein is big enough to accommodate the extremely fine sclerotherapy needle, it can be effectively treated through this procedure. And even hair-thin veins will typically collapse as they are fed by larger veins.
Sclerotherapy offers a number of advantages over the only other major treatment option for spider veins – transdermal laser vein treatment. When compared with sclerotherapy, transdermal laser treatment is typically more painful and less effective. The bottom line is that transdermal laser treatment simply doesn’t work on every diseased vein.
The before & after evidence of sclerotherapy’s
must be seen to be believed. Spider veins become less inflamed and discolored immediately after treatment. Over time, they may even disappear completely.
For more information about Cincinnati vein treatment and the effects of sclerotherapy on spider veins, contact the team of specialized medical professionals at the VIA Vein Center. They can also answer any questions that you might have about spider veins and vein disorders in general.
