Treat and Prevent Varicose and Spider Veins This New Year
If you're looking for a "new you" in the new year, you might be thinking about some preventive health measures. After all, it's better to avoid varicose and spider veins to begin with. Unfortunately, even the best prevention strategies can fall short; some people will still develop varicose veins and spider veins due to genetics, their gender and other reasons beyond their control. So here are some tips for prevention, followed by a few easy treatment methods to get rid of minor vein problems.
Tips for Prevention
- Lose some weight. One of the factors that may contribute to spider veins is excess pressure on the legs. Less weight equals less pressure.
- Keep moving. Daily exercise like walking, climbing the stairs, swimming and other activities can help keep the circulation in your legs working properly.
- Don't sit or stand in one place for too long. Easier said and done when you work in a cubicle, right? Take quick breaks at work to get up and walk around, stretching your muscles out. You can also do some simple calf stretching exercises at your desk.
- Elevate your legs. Prop your feet up when you're at rest, so they're at a higher elevation than your heart.
Treatment Methods
Sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive treatment method that involves an injection. Spider veins and smaller varicose veins are injected with a chemical "sclerosing" agent. This causes the offending vein to harden and fade away with time, while blood flow is diverted to nearby healthy veins.
A laser or pulsed light is another easy method of spider vein removal. The laser is used to seal off the vein at each end. This causes it to collapse; the vein fades away and disappears over time. Pulsed light treatments work similarly.
Ambulatory phlebectomy treatment method uses tiny incisions along the length of the vein. The spider vein is then pulled out in sections through these little incisions. The cuts are so tiny that no stitches are required.
To find out more about vein treatment options, click here to find a vein specialist in your area!
