Can varicose veins go away?

Do you have a varicose vein that you wish would just go away? You are not alone – as many as 30 percent of adults develop these unhealthy veins. Unfortunately, varicose veins will not go away on their own, but treatment can help them disappear.

Why do varicose veins develop in the first place?

To understand why varicose veins do not go away on their own, it helps to review how varicose veins develop. Varicose veins are a type of venous disease, which means they affect the veins of the circulatory system. Arteries bring oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood from the heart to the rest of your body, where cells and tissues use the oxygen and nutrients in blood to function. As they work, cells and tissues create carbon dioxide and other toxins, which they deposit back into the bloodstream. Veins transport this blood back up to the heart.

With every beat of your heart, blood moves a little further through your veins and arteries. Arteries get a little help from gravity, which pulls blood downward from the heart towards your feet. Your veins have to work harder to move blood upwards against the force of gravity.

Small valves in your veins prevent blood from moving backwards, or refluxing, between heartbeats. Every time your heart beats, these valves open and close to allow blood to move to the next section of the vein. Your veins are also elastic, so they stretch and contract slightly to squeeze the blood upwards.

Sometimes, though, the valves begin to fail and your veins lose some of their elasticity – this is especially true as you get older. In time, your veins do a poor job of squeezing blood upwards and your valves do not close completely; both allow blood to reflux downwards towards your feet and accumulate in the veins in your lower legs and ankles.

As blood accumulates in your lower legs, the excess blood exerts pressure against the inner walls of your veins. The affected blood vessels react to the pressure by bloating, twisting, and becoming a varicose vein. The vein is diseased at this point, and does a poor job of transporting blood upwards toward your heart.

If the affected vein is near the surface of your skin, you can see the telltale red or blue squiggly line of a varicose vein. Deep and superficial varicose veins can also cause aching, burning or throbbing, along with swollen feet or ankles, and dry, itchy skin over the affected vein. You may experience muscle cramps in your lower legs, especially at night.

How do I make my varicose veins go away?

Vein treatment is the only way to make varicose veins go away. Treatment involves irritating the vein, which causes the walls of the vein to stick together and close completely. In time, the treated vein breaks apart and is absorbed by the tissue surrounding it. The body reroutes blood flow through nearby veins. Over the course of weeks or months, the treated vein disappears.

Types of vein treatment include:

• Sclerotherapy – the vein doctor injects a foaming agent into the vein; the foaming action irritates and closes the vein
• Ultrasound Guided Sclerotherapy – the vein surgeon uses ultrasound to precisely inject the foaming agent
• Microphlebectomy – removes the varicose vein in tiny holes in the skin
• ClosureFast – uses heat through radiofrequency energy to destroy the vein
• Clarivein® – a minimally invasive procedure to close the faulty valve
• VenaSeal™ – uses an adhesive to close the vein
• Varithena – like sclerotherapy, Varithena uses foam to irritate and close varicose veins
• Endovenous Laser Therapy (EVLT) – in this treatment, vein surgeons use light energy to treat varicose veins
• Veinwave™ – also uses radiofrequency energy

Siragusa’s vein clinic in nashville

If varicose veins, spider veins or other vascular issues are causing you health problems, schedule a consult with us right away. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the middle of winter or July here in Nashville, TN. We’ll plan out a course of vein treatment to help you deal with varicose veins, spider veins, or DVT