Rope-like, twisted, bulging, blue and purple leg veins commonly known as varicose veins are incredibly embarrassing for most people. Varicose veins are also visible signs of an underlying vein problem that can lead to serious complications.
Are you tired of varicose veins and ready to seek treatment? If so, it's time to learn about endovenous laser ablation therapy, a safe, nonsurgical, minimally invasive procedure that permanently eliminates varicose veins.
At Memphis Vein Center, Kishore K. Arcot, MD, FACC, is an expert in effective varicose vein treatments like endovenous laser ablation. Here he explains what you need to know about varicose veins, laser ablation, and how it works.
Varicose veins are the result of dysfunctional valves inside the veins. The valves keep blood moving up your legs (toward your heart). When they weaken, blood refluxes (flows down the legs), a condition called chronic venous insufficiency.
The next healthy valve stops the refluxing blood, which then accumulates in that vein segment, leading to engorged varicose veins. Over time, the healthy valve also weakens, allowing the twisted, bulging veins to expand.
In addition to getting rid of varicose veins, endovenous laser ablation also treats chronic venous insufficiency, preventing potentially serious complications.
Beyond affecting your appearance, varicose veins often cause leg pain and swelling, muscle cramps, and restless legs. Chronic insufficiency increases the venous pressure in the lower legs.
Without endovenous laser ablation therapy to treat your varicose veins, the pressure may cause the following complications:
High venous pressure pushes fluids out of the lower leg blood vessels, causing a red, scaly, itchy, inflammatory skin condition similar to eczema.
Hyperpigmentation, a dark reddish-brown skin discoloration, develops when iron-rich cells from your blood leave the veins and infiltrate your skin.
Lipodermatosclerosis occurs when the skin in your lower legs thickens and hardens. This condition may also cause pain, itching, and inflammation.
A venous stasis ulcer is a shallow, open wound that usually develops around the ankles as fluids leave the lower leg veins and break down the surrounding skin.
Venous stasis ulcers are dangerous complications because they won’t heal without medical care. Instead, the wound keeps enlarging and causes skin and bone infections.
Before performing endovenous laser ablation therapy, we typically use ultrasound to map your veins and plan the procedure. After making a tiny pinhole opening, we insert a slim laser catheter (long, flexible tube) into the leg vein.
Then using ultrasound to guide the procedure, we thread the catheter through the vein. After injecting a local anesthetic to ensure your comfort, we slowly pull the catheter out of the vein while simultaneously sending laser pulses into the vein walls.
The laser’s heat makes the vein walls collapse and turn into scar tissue. Your body gradually removes the scar tissue, which eliminates your varicose veins.
Healthy circulation also returns as the blood begins traveling through other veins. As a result, you prevent complications (or help them heal if they already developed).
We put compression stockings on your legs and a bandage on the small incision, then you can return to your usual daily life. But we ask you to avoid strenuous activity and prolonged sitting for a short time, which may affect your typical routine.
Are you ready to get rid of unsightly varicose veins? Call us at Memphis Vein Center in Memphis, Tennessee, or request an appointment online to learn more about endovenous laser ablation therapy.
