More than half of Americans suffer from varicose or spider veins. Pain, itchiness, discoloration, discomfort, and reduced confidence are all common side effects of these disordered veins. With sclerotherapy vein removal at Advanced Life Clinic in Huntsville, AL, you can improve circulation, self-confidence, and overall quality of life. Find out how it works.
Does Sclerotherapy Improve Circulation?
Absolutely! Sclerotherapy closes off disordered veins. When that happens, your body naturally diverts blood flow to nearby, healthy veins. The result is better circulation, less pain, less itching, and smoother, vein-free legs.
To understand how it all works, it’s important to know what causes these veins to form in the first place and then understand how the treatment can help. Keep reading.
What Causes Disordered Veins?
Veins and arteries carry blood throughout the body. Blood is pumped out of the heart, where it delivers micronutrients and hydration to the body’s various tissues through strong arteries, which come with their own muscles for moving blood efficiently where it’s needed.
After the blood does its delivery job, it is pumped back to the heart through veins, which are weaker and rely on the nearby muscles to help them move blood. Since most of our veins work against gravity to get blood back to the heart, veins come with one-way valves meant to prevent blood from going backward. However, sometimes these valves fail. When that happens, blood pools when your veins start to break down. The result is significant swelling. Turgid veins cause symptoms such as pain, discomfort, or burning. Other common side effects include:
- Itching
- Muscle cramping
- Edema
- Weakness
- Skin dryness
- Skin discoloration
This describes what happens, but it doesn’t explain why. For that, we need to know about the risk factors for disordered veins.
Genetics
Your genes can contribute to disordered veins. Having a family member with a vein disorder increases your chances of developing varicose veins or spider veins. It’s a good idea to ask your parents, grandparents, or siblings if they’ve ever been diagnosed with a vein disorder. A detailed medical history of your parents may also be beneficial.
Additionally, the body’s blood must travel farther to return to the heart in tall people, so they are more likely to develop varicose veins. As a result of this extra strain against gravity, the veins of the lower extremities weaken, significantly increasing their risk of future degradation. Finally, women are more likely to experience varicose veins, for reasons not completely understood as yet.
Lifestyle
Varicose veins can also develop as a result of your lifestyle. The more sedentary you are at work and the more you sit on the couch at home, the greater your risk of varicose veins. By being more active, you can reduce your risk of developing varicose veins in the future. When you sit or stand for long periods of time at work, your vein health is compromised.
Body Composition
As your body fat percentage increases, you are at increased risk of developing varicose veins. You have more blood in your body when you have more fat tissue. A high body fat percentage, resulting in more blood in the veins, causes too much pressure to be exerted on the valves.
Moreover, fat exerts external pressure on your legs’ veins, especially abdominal fat. Getting rid of excess weight reduces your risk of developing numerous medical conditions, including varicose veins. Try to exercise five hours moderately or 2.5 hours vigorously each week if you are trying to lose weight. You should always consult your doctor before increasing your exercise significantly, however. Diet is also very important.
Diet
A person’s diet may also be a significant factor contributing to varicose veins. People with high blood pressure are more likely to develop varicose veins. You should purchase a blood pressure monitor cuff and monitor your blood pressure regularly. If it’s high, check with your doctor, reduce your caffeine intake, make sure you’re getting enough magnesium and vitamin D, and make sure you’re walking regularly and eating whole foods rather than processed junk.
Congenital Valve Dysfunction
The term congenital valve dysfunction describes heart valves that didn’t fully develop in the womb. An unfortunate consequence of this condition is valves that can’t close completely. Veins, in particular, become problematic because of their valves, which keep blood from leaking.
Blood pools as the valves leak, backing up in the veins and causing them to twist and swell. Various problems can arise as a result of this blood pooling, ranging from mild skin discoloration to intense, painful pressure. Extensive swelling is also possible.
How This Treatment Works
Spider and varicose veins can be treated with sclerotherapy, an FDA-approved method of sclerotherapy vein removal. In this procedure, a sclerosant solution is used to irritate the disordered veins until they collapse. Blood can no longer pass through your treated veins once they collapse, causing them to starve to death.
Once the collapsed veins collapse, you’ll notice that your symptoms improve. This will happen even before the collapsed veins fully die because blood begins to flow through healthy, strong veins.
Is It the Right Time for Treatment?
If you suffer from symptoms that are significantly affecting your quality of life, you should seek treatment for your spider or varicose veins. If you can’t walk as far as you used to be able to because your legs feel heavy and sore, now is the time to seek treatment. In the same way, if you have trouble sleeping at night due to itchiness or if you have trouble keeping the affected area moisturized, now is the time to seek treatment.
Yet, even if your only physical symptom is spider veins or varicose veins, now may still be the right time to seek treatment. You should seek treatment if you feel self-conscious due to the appearance of your disordered veins; because feeling confident is your right.
What to Expect
Before Treatment
To determine whether sclerotherapy vein removal is appropriate for you, you need an initial consultation. We will assess your problem areas during this first consultation to ensure that this treatment will be effective. To ensure that this treatment will be safe for you, we will discuss your health history, medications, and supplements you regularly take. If you are healthy enough for this treatment, we will give you instructions on preparing for it.
General Preparation Information
How you prepare for sclerotherapy vein removal will depend on your lifestyle. The preparation instructions you receive will also be affected by the drugs and supplements you take regularly. In preparation for this treatment, you will need to stop taking any blood-thinning medications. For several days prior to your treatment, you should also refrain from using tobacco products or drinking alcohol.
When you come in for your scheduled injection session, you should be well hydrated and nourished. Furthermore, you should wear loose and comfortable clothing. Consider wearing shorts to your appointment if you are having varicose veins or spider veins removed from your legs. You should also remove any cosmetics from your skin before your appointment so that your skin is clean. As a final precaution, refrain from shaving the treatment area on the day of your session and take steps to protect yourself from sunburn.
During Treatment
We will ask you to lie on your back when you come in for your session. The legs with disordered veins will be elevated above your heart during the session to improve circulation. As soon as you are sitting or lying with your target area above your heart, the injection sites will be disinfected.
A sclerosant solution will then be injected into the walls of the targeted veins after the injection sites are disinfected. In order to prevent blood from getting into the irritated veins, we will massage the treated area gently. Depending on the extent of your treatment, your session may last up to 30 minutes. If you have varicose veins all over your body or your veins are particularly large and twisted, it may take more time for your treatment to be completed.
A Comfortable Treatment
Among the other things you need to know about this treatment is that it isn’t painful. During the treatment process, you will not need general anesthesia, and after your injection session is completed, you will not require extensive observation. Your usual routine can resume immediately after.
Contact Us Today!
Sclerotherapy vein removal helps you improve the flow of blood in your body. In a short session, disordered veins are collapsed and blood is redirected to stronger veins, for improved circulation. Get in touch with us today at Advanced Life Clinic in Huntsville, AL to schedule an initial consultation.
