Most varicose vein and spider vein treatments are "permanent" because they work by decreasing blood flow to an abnormal vein. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that another abnormal venous structure will not present itself in the future (in the same location or different location). Patients with longstanding venous insufficiency may have more than one problematic vein, and it's not uncommon for them to become visually apparent at different times in their life. When speaking with your vein specialist, it is important to have realistic expectations and understand that venous flow can change over time despite treatment. That being said, most patients are very satisfied with treatments and are able to recognize when new veins start becoming problematic.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

The gold standard for treatment of varicose veins is to first close the leaking valves with a laser, RF catheter or mechanical chemical ablation followed by treating the varicose veins with either sclerotherapy or removal through microphlebecomies. The gold standard for treatment of spider veins is sclerotherapy. Vein treatment is a process and no treatment is permanent. Think of veins in terms of long term maintenance.

Published on Jul 11, 2012