Varicose veins are enlarged and twisted veins that are painful. They prominently seen in legs and appear raised on the skin. Though they are not fatal, they can cause discomfort.

Today, with advanced technologies you will find a less-invasive or non-surgical treatment of varicose veins.

A non-surgical procedure doesn’t use any equipment or surgical tools that enter the body or skin. Tiny incisions are made in the skin in non-surgical procedures.

Types of non-surgical treatments for varicose veins

Out of the many less-surgical or non-surgical procedures available today for varicose veins treatment, let us understand a few of them

Radiofrequency Ablation

In this procedure radio waves (radiofrequency energy) are transmitted via a vein wall. Firstly, the doctor would numb your vein and then perform an ultrasound to monitor the inside of your leg. After that, he would send a catheter through the vein to pass radiofrequency energy through its wall. Ideally, the catheter would travel from your knee to the groin.

This process would heat the vein wall, thicken it and contract and then it will be absorbed by your body normally and let the veins vanish. To get the complete results it may take a couple of weeks to months after the procedure.

Endovenous Laser Ablation

The procedure is the same as radiofrequency ablation and the only difference is that it uses laser energy instead of radiofrequency energy.

In this process, a laser fiber is placed inside the catheter and shifted to the desired spot. Here the laser energy results in the closure of the vessel due to heat. As a result, the vein shrinks and your body absorbs it slowly. Laser therapy and Radiofrequency therapy are the preferred treatment options for treating deeper veins present in your leg.

Sclerotherapy

The main objective of sclerotherapy is to smash varicose veins. It is done by passing a solution which is known as a sclerosant. The solution damages the vein as a result of which the vein is destroyed. The destruction forces the blood to redirect to healthier veins.

Gradually, your body ruins the veins and slowly the veins vanish. The procedure is suitable for treating small veins that appear near the skin surface also known as spider veins.

Foam sclerotherapy is the process of conversion of a sclerosant into foam before it is injected into the vein. The procedure is effective to treat larger veins as the foam can occupy a larger area as compared to the liquid.