Understanding Varicose Veins
Varicose veins are a medical condition in which the veins tend to become large, visible, and twisted, usually along the legs. Our veins contain valves that help to push the blood flow towards the heart.
When the veins around our legs get pressurized, this causes the valves to fail, and the blood goes in reverse and starts to pool, which ultimately causes visible varicose veins. In some cases, varicose veins cause immense pain.
Because of their marketable abilities, patients have started undergoing treatment at an early stage. The vascular and interventional center has various machinery with different capabilities to provide these innovative treatments.
Understanding the symptoms and being aware of the less common symptoms of varicose veins may help people to get treated early. Some common symptoms of varicose veins are discussed below.
The damaged blood veins on the skin’s surface make the veins appear twisted or enlarged. Small veins on the skin’s surface are also present, which are called spider veins. The legs, especially the calves and thighs, become achy or extremely painful.
Prolonged periods of sitting or standing can accelerate the pain. Sometimes, it may not even be pain but a feeling of heaviness inside your legs.
Although varicose veins could be threatening, they can affect the quality of your life, causing individuals not to wear shorts and skirts because they are ashamed of their appearance due to spider veins.
Some of the less common symptoms could be excessive dryness, redness, or skin discoloration between or on the ankles, swollen ankles and feet, or restless legs during nighttime.
Varicose veins can result in minor problems or chronic conditions over time. Varicose veins are a serious issue, and surgical treatment can be life-saving.
It builds up a firm foundation to know why minimally invasive treatments are important, and the vascular and interventional center has the capability to perform such treatments by interventional means.
Vascular and Interventional Centre provides treatments such as minimally invasive varicose veins surgery in Singapore.
Causes and Symptoms of Varicose Veins
Varicose veins are swollen, bulging blue veins that often look twisted and can form knots. They happen when the valves in the veins stop working properly and blood collects in them, which makes the veins get larger.
Although it is not known exactly why the valves stop working, some risk factors can make vein conditions more probable: genetic predisposition – a person with a family history of varicose veins may develop them;
obesity can increase pressure in the veins; age – the veins can lose elasticity when a person gets older; lifestyle – habits such as standing or sitting in one place for too long can lead to varicose veins;
hormonal changes sudden hormonal changes are another trigger. For example, during pregnancy or puberty, patients are at increased risk for vascular problems. Varicose veins treatment is available in Singapore.
Traditional Treatments versus Minimally Invasive Procedures
When comparing traditional methods of varicose vein treatments with the usage of contemporary minimally invasive techniques, we must mention the older ultrasound methods from several years ago, which were less effective and carried high recurrence rates.
Traditional treatments and therapies included liquid and foam obliteration of the saphenous veins with the aid of stab-avulsion hooks and phlebectomy, which had high recurrence rates after five years, as well as laser and radiofrequency application.
Phlebectomy was performed to remove the accumulated flow of blood on the surface but left side effects of tissue residuals and nerves, leading to nerve damage and bleeding in only a fraction of the cases.
The removal of the perforating veins was also part of these procedures. Sclerotherapy, when the physician injected a liquid or foam agent inside the varicose veins, came along with serious complications like deep vein thrombosis, stroke, or death from anaphylaxis if not done properly.
Conventional stripping was another harmful way to treat varicose veins. The vulnerability of these veins tends to worsen during pregnancy or when over-straining the body with heavy weights.
The new concept in the treatment of varicose veins is the application of minimally invasive procedures. These new facilities are safer, require small incisions, and result in less pain and a faster return to normal activities.
Minimally invasive treatments are offered in contrast to surgery. Thanks to ever-evolving operating theatre technology, procedures can now be carried out by puncturing the skin.
This new modus operandi allows operating without the struggle to reach the saphenous vein, removing the difficulties of the older methods that required exposing the veins with the help of surgical hooks and/or removing veins with large incisions—cutting veins open and stripping the veins out when symptoms were severe.
Invasive operations make patients need to carry a weightier state of consciousness, which scares off many patients.
Furthermore, with the new method, the time of absorption isn’t necessary during healing, and the older methods are avoided, such as forcing the veins to empty of aesthetics and a shabby feeling when using local anesthesia.
The favorable circumstances accompanying these new therapies are that after the procedures, patients don’t require time to recover because they can be discharged with the option of returning to their daily routines.
These therapies have the benefits of reducing their occurrence and are associated with minimally invasive methods that differ from other more hazardous and advanced methods that have been used before.
With minimally invasive treatments, there is no occurrence of nerve injury, and they will also rebalance the blood flow in the limbs.
Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA) for Varicose Veins
EVLA treatment, by shutting the flow of blood within the unsightly veins, causes them to disappear, making your leg or foot look much more similar to what it did before you developed varicose veins.
As mentioned earlier, EVLA is minimally invasive, characterized by little to no discomfort required postoperatively, and the recovery time is less than half of the alternatives.
Surgical stripping of the main superficial vein takes a long time to recover in comparison to different methods of EVLA, which involve multiple incisions and excruciating postoperative pain, as well as the risk of puncturing a numbed vein.
Furthermore, Endovenous Laser Ablation is virtually painless and has a success rate of over 95.3%. Also, the recurrence of varicose veins post-EVLA is less than 1%. Our survey over a 5-year period has found that 98 out of 100 patients were pleased with their results.
The EVLA therapy can be completed in a few hours with very little interruption to normal living and working lives. The treatment is carried out in-house at our modern Vascular and Interventional Centre.
Sclerotherapy
One of the most popular minimally invasive treatments to reduce or eliminate varicose veins, sclerotherapy, is offered at a medical center. In the sclerotherapy treatment, a special solution is injected directly into the vein.
The solution displaces the blood in the vein and induces the vein’s closure. Over a period of weeks to months, the body gradually absorbs the treated vein and it becomes less visible, if not entirely eliminated.
The main advantages of sclerotherapy are that it is simple to do, and recovery is typically quick for treatment candidates.
Most patients tolerate the procedure very well and can return to normal activities afterward. Individuals who have certain severe medical conditions such as blood clots or pregnancy may not be the most appropriate candidates for sclerotherapy.
However, most people opt for this minimally invasive treatment. Fortunately, individuals bothered by this condition should have a discussion with a vein specialist.
It is advised to have a medical examination before sclerotherapy and have a thorough understanding of the potential risks in addition to the benefits of this cosmetic treatment.
The risk of pigmentation after sclerotherapy is about 10%. Pigmentation can be treated with laser therapy. It is generally recommended to have a follow-up treatment if the varicose veins are not alleviated after six to eight weeks.
The possibility of recurrence of varicose veins is approximately 15%.Varicose veins often look better due to the anesthesia and the avoidance of bleeding and bruising in a selected group of patients.
Almost all patients who have had a session of sclerotherapy have experienced significant cosmetic improvement.
Noninvasive sympathetic testing measures the flow of blood in the veins to complement the ultrasound testing. Experts recommend manual lymph drainage after sclerotherapy, since it speeds up healing by two weeks and reduces pigmentation formation.
Radiofrequency Ablation
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive treatment option for varicose veins that have in the past been treated using surgical techniques. The RFA procedure uses heat generated from radiofrequency energy to close off and seal the vein.
Usually conducted in a vein doctor’s office on an outpatient basis using local anesthesia, the minimally invasive RFA treatment allows most people to return to work and normal activities the next day.
There may be a short recovery period involved, but typically patients do not experience high levels of pain or post-RFA discomfort.
RFA is an effective method for sealing off the veins that cause problems for the patient; swelling and discomfort may quickly subside, and after care of veins with compression garments, overall health and circulation can also improve significantly as the body reroutes the blood from affected veins through other healthier veins in the area.
Like any surgical procedure, RFA may be associated with certain complications and risks. An unbiased perspective from a vein specialist can be useful in determining whether the RFA procedure or another option or multiple options are indicated in a specific case.
The RFA procedure typically takes about one hour, and patients are usually able to walk out of the office on their own after a session of minimally invasive radiofrequency vein treatment.
The RFA procedure has a high success rate, with the majority of patients reporting satisfaction with their RFA treatment and relief from the painful, swollen, and rope-like veins.
In a clinical setting, there may be a need to combine the RFA treatment with an accompanying procedure. Radiofrequency ablation of varicose veins has had promising patient results and a significant drop in varicose vein symptoms noted when compared to the outcomes achieved with the previous standard of care.
