The treatment of leg veins has been around a long while. Depending on the size of the vessels there are various options from minor injections to laser to more aggressive vein stripping, surgical procedures. There is no best treatment because there are so many variations of leg veins. Recent innovations have improved treatments, though. Beyond the scope of my expertise are the improvements in the surgical approach that used to entail rather aggressive vein stripping in the OR under general anesthesia. Now with the use of radioablation and internal laser treatments, the treatment of vascular insufficiency and varicose veins has become a lot simpler and safer.
On the non-invasive front, which is my focus, there is sclerotherapy. A procedure that has been around for decades, sclerotherapy is still the standard of care for small red/blue spider veins that plague women throughout the world. Several agents have been used with various degress of success, pain , and risk. Salt water solutions are the most common agent to date. Recently the the FDA has approved for use- Asclera, otherwise known as polidocanol. It is a solution that has been used in Europe for quite a while that is far superior to other agents. First off, it is close to painless. Its safety profile is excellent and its has the ability to treat various sized vessels that we cater to with differing concentrations. As with other agents, sclerotherapy is often done in a small series of treatments and patients can return to full activity often right away. On occasion, stockings are used to help healing and treatments can be performed 2-4 weeks apart. Contrary to popular belief, external lasers are more expensive, have more complications and are less effective than performing sclerotherapy. For more details about the procedure feel free to peruse the site at www.pfrankmd.com. Have a great Thanksgiving!

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