Non-invasive treatment of varicose/spider veins
It seems as one gets older all the skin vessels all over the body become more
prominent. Some are just enlarged deeper veins
others are very small arteries or veins very close to the skin surface.
Their treatment depends on which category they fall into & where on the body the
lie.
Red colored {*filter*} vessels above the collar bone usually respond well to flashlamp
lasers although more than one treatment
may be required to control these pesky critters. Occasional maintenance treatments
may be required to keep them at bay. This
modality has proven to be ineffective on the limbs & torso. This is probably due to
water/{*filter*} pressure keeping these other
vessels open while we spend most of the day upright. These vessels lower on the
body respond better to injection
sclerotherapy whereby concentrated solutions of sugar &/or salt water are injected
to clot off the vessel. Again maintenance
treatments may be required & sometimes there is some fine tuning of the injected
solution. You want a solution that is strong
enough to clot off the vessel but not so strong that it kills the skin.
Although the technology is changing & better lasers may come to be I currently do
not recommend laser obliteration of veins.
The lasers designed for {*filter*} vessel obliteration are absorbed by the color red
such as arteries & their contents. Veins are
darker in color. To adjust for this absorption difference laser manufacturers are
marketing their tattoo, hair & mole removal
lasers which are absorbed by darker colors as vein removal devices. The efficacy of
this is marginal at best. My opinion is that
surgical removal is better for larger veins & sclerotherapy for smaller vessels.
The larger veins can be removed through a
tiny incision. However, in the upper part of the face
sclerotherapy cannot be used because of the proximity of the eyes & tendency for
the sclerosant agent to migrate. Additionally,
in most people compression stockings should be worn on the legs after treatment to
prevent recurrence of visible leg veins.
Large varicose veins in the legs require treatment because the vein walls can be
become so weakened that the vein bursts &
bleeds throught the skin. For large straight veins radio frequency ablation applied
via a small catheter threaded into the vein can
be also be effective. This procedure first became available in 1999.
As far as I know there are no creams that can be applied to rid the skin of the
problems described above.
A single {*filter*} vessel may have to be injected more than once, depending on the size
of the vessel to be injected and its response to treatment. The response to
sclerotherapy or fading process is gradual.
There may be stinging or pain at the sites of sclerosing solution injection,
swelling of the ankles or feet or muscle cramps. All of these usually go way within
10 to 15 minutes after injection.
Red raised areas appear at injection sites and should disappear within a day or so.
Brown hyperpigmented areas or bruises may appear in areas treated with vein removal
or sclerotherapy. The pigment is present in any {*filter*} that escapes from treated
{*filter*} vessels. In most cases, hyperpigmentation resolves within a year, but in a
small percent of patients it may last for years. Bruises should disappear in a few
weeks.
Since {*filter*} is a fluid which flows along the path of least resistance the removal
or destruction of some {*filter*} vessels can cause the {*filter*} to flow into other vessels
to a greater degree. Thus, new spider vessels and/or varicose veins can appear at a
future date. Recurrence can be minimized by wearing support hose. Most smaller
redder vessels that appear around sclerosed vessels (2nd generation vessels) go
away within 1 year and it is counterproductive to keep sclerosing these vessels.
Lumps may be felt under the skin surface especially if larger vessels are treated.
This is coagulated {*filter*} that has collected and will resorb on its own or can be
drained with a small needle one or two weeks after the procedure.
{*filter*} clots are known to travel from the legs up to the lungs. However, this is
extremely unlikely when working with small superficial veins.
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Best wishes
___________________________________________
Aaron Stone MD
Aesthetic & Reconstructive Plastic Surgery
2080 Century Park East, Suite 1110
Century City
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310)843-9021
FAX(310)277-6510
http://www.***.com/
ICQ #19116074
Accept no substitutes, demand a Plastic Surgeon certified by the
American Board of Plastic Surgery for your cosmetic & reconstructive
Plastic Surgery needs!
Quote:
> I recently saw an ad in the local newspaper on "photoderm VL light treatment"
> of varicose/spider veins. What does the treatment involve? Does anyone know how
> effective it is? Thanks in advance.
