By: Timothy Jones, MD

Varicose veins and “spider” veins can be extremely frustrating as well as uncomfortable and unhealthy. Unfortunately, many patients are not sure of how to go about researching their options before they meet with a qualified skin care specialist at a St. Louis, MO laser vein center. Here are two steps to help you get started.

Step 1: Assess Your Veins

First, you need to understand your own condition accurately. Varicose veins require a different approach from spider veins, and while your vein doctor can help you understand which is which, knowing ahead of time will help.

• Varicose veins appear when the tiny valves in the veins fail, allowing blood to flow backwards and pool in the vein. Varicose veins occur five times more commonly for women than for men and typically appear as bluish, gnarled, “puffy” veins that may also create physical discomfort.
• Spider veins, a milder form of varicose veins, typically accompany varicose veins and occur in smaller veins and capillaries. Spider veins most commonly appear on the legs, face, or chest and may give a “marbled” or “blue cheese” look to the skin.

Step 2: Understand How the Treatments Work

You are more likely to have realistic expectations for the procedure – and know whether or not it is right for you – if you understand how the treatment works. Years ago, the conventional approach was to remove these veins surgically, but this technique often caused more problems than it solved, and today’s surgeons recognize that the most effective solutions sometimes require no surgery at all. Today’s two main options are:

• Sclerotherapy: This procedure offers a relatively fast-acting answer to the problem of larger varicose veins. The surgeon injects a special solution into the vein that will scar the inside of the vein wall, effectively closing it off so that the blood is re-routed through another vessel instead of being allowed to pool. This approach is only appropriate for veins that are large enough to be injected, and may require more than one treatment for the vein to “disappear” entirely.
• Laser vein therapy: Sclerotherapy can be very effective for larger veins, but facial varicose veins are generally too small and too visible for that approach to work effectively or attractively. A fully-equipped vein center in St. Louis, MO will often offer laser vein treatments, which eliminate smaller varicose veins by selectively destroying them. Because laser is a noninvasive and very “clean” approach, this technique involves minimal risk with fast results.

The key to getting excellent results with your vein treatment is to choose a surgeon and a laser vein center in St. Louis, MO that you feel confident offers the results and quality of care that you want. Meet with a few different doctors before you settle on one that demonstrates the highest standards of care.