A varicose vein is initially only a visual problem, but can cause swelling of the legs, fatigue and pain over time. Reduced blood flow to your legs causes your legs to tire quickly and often feel as heavy as lead weights. If left untreated, varicose veins can become so severe that it causes leg ulcers, difficulty walking, leg cramps, and blood clots. Addressed issue with hospitalization, surgical removal of varicose vein, and long recovery period. It can make you shiver just thinking about it. Nowadays, however, by using the latest laser technology in many cases, much of this old surgical procedure can be a thing of the past.
The benefits of this new laser procedure for the treatment of varicose veins are considerable. No preparatory work is really necessary. It can be done on an outpatient basis and usually lasts less than an hour. The old surgery often took 4 to 6 hours or more. General anesthesia for the laser procedure is not required and the pain is minimal. When all is done, there are no scars. The incision for laser insertion is so small that no point is needed. When the doctor is done with the laser, there is no recovery period. Vigorous physical activity is not recommended the first day or two after laser treatment. Usually, however, you leave the ambulance and immediately resume your normal daily activities. After a week, you may feel mild itching and tenderness, but not enough to limit your activities. Sometimes you need to perform a second or third tracking laser procedure to get a complete solution to the problem. This will of course vary from individual to individual.
The technical name for this procedure is endogenous laser therapy. The laser used is very precise and delivers a very controlled dose of laser energy. The doctor will insert a very small, thin laser fiber into your thigh. Although your varicose vein appears in the area of your lower leg, the root cause of the problem is almost always a defective flap in your thigh. As soon as the laser is correctly positioned in your thigh, it activates the laser. The heat of the laser energy causes blood to clot in this area of the vein and occlude the diseased varicose vein. As a result, the entire vein narrows from there down your lower leg and is absorbed into your body. The number of veins in your legs is huge, so losing a varicose vein is not a problem for your circulatory system. Blood that would normally have passed through the diseased varicose vein will now flow through other healthier veins.