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Treatment of varicose and spider veins
· Varicose and spider veins are the consequence of 2 main causes:
o The venous pumps in your legs (responsible for pumping the blood back to the heart) are starting to be defective, leading the body to compensate by manufacturing extra blood vessels.
o Your skin gets thinner with age, making any superficial blood vessel more easily visible to the naked eye.
· Veins come in different shapes, sizes and depths, so several different treatment options are available depending on your specific condition.
· For larger veins, Sclerotherapy has, for many years been the gold standard. This involves injecting a sclerosing agent using a very small needle inside the vein. This will cause the vein to collapse and to be absorbed in the body (this takes about 6 to 8 weeks to complete).
· For patients that are needle-phobic or whenever the vein is too small to inject, lasers are an effective alternative
· The laser beam is absorbed by the blood in your blood vessel. The heat thus generated is transferred to the vessel wall and coagulates (cooks) it.
· The vessels will take a darker, angrier look that may persist for 24 hours. They will then start to fade and will continue to do so for up to 6 to 8 weeks.
· Sometimes, blood vessels that seemed to have disappeared immediately after the procedure reappear after a few days. This is normal. The full result of the treatment will only be seen at 6 to 8 weeks.
· Each treatment will reduce the number of veins that are visible, but it is impossible to predict how many treatments will be required.
· Treatments are performed every 6 to 8 weeks. During all this time, it is imperative that your legs stay out of the sun. The use of tanning beds is absolutely prohibited.
· Immediately after the procedure, sun block must be applied. Normal activities can be resumed immediately. Strenuous activities should be avoided for 24 hours. Hot showers/baths should be avoided for 24 hours after the procedure (see post-care instructions).
· Although the results achieved are permanent, more vessels will appear because we did not treat the underlying cause (poor circulation). Over the years, further maintenance treatments may be necessary.
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