Mostly, when valves inside the vein are ruined, varicose vein is evoked. Veins become big abnormally and swell. Veins' running outlook also becomes winding. Spider veins or telangiectasis are also types of varicose veins.
As the diameter of veins increases, valves that help blood in the veins flow in one direction are destroyed. Thus, regurgitation appears. Genetic factor is the biggest. Pregnancy, obesity, oral contraceptive, female hormone therapy, occupational conditions are also important factors. Occurrence in women is 3~4 times higher than occurrence in men.
Varicose vein treatment does not treat normal veins. It removes ruined veins that regurgitation was occurring. Thus, overall blood circulation is improved. And many other normal veins can maintain blood flow level without problems. Ruined veins give bad influence to normal venous circulation. If these veins are not treated, other normal veins can also be destroyed. Thus, quick treatment is required.
Occurrence in women is 3~4 times higher than occurrence in men. But as patients become older, this ratio tends to become 1:1. Due to the effect of female hormone, symptoms become worse in late pregnancy or after menopause. Oral contraceptive and menopause also worsen the symptoms. Women tend to gain spider veins or telangiectasis more frequently than men. If regurgitation occurs due to the destruction of thin veins, symptoms such as tremor, seizure and numbness can appear. These symptoms will be disappeared right after appropriate treatment.
Treatment experience is the most important criteria. Patients should visit blood vessel specialist who can use laser or sclerotherapy that were proved to be effective and stable. Whether the clinic is specialized and treats only varicose vein or not is also important. Published papers by academic journals can also be an important standard for patients. Nowadays, medical advertisement is flooding. Many clinics tend to overstate treatment result or achievements. Thus, patients should check whether the advertisement is objectively believable or not.
Samsung Varicose Vein Clinic has performed only laser therapy since 2002 (the year that FDA authorized laser therapy). Success rate is over 98.5%. This is a world-best achievement. Foam therapy or ultrasound induced slcerotherapy, which are the newest sclerotherapy methods, are also performed with laser therapy. These treatments' results are also very good.
We are publishing our papers about treatment result and therapy techniques to worldwide authorized academic journals.
According to many reports, surgical treatment's failure rate is 25~80% within 5 years after surgery. To remove varicose veins through incision, at least spinal anasthesia or sleeping anesthesia is required. Thus, many pre-treatments such as blood exam or starving should be performed. Due to anesthesia, headache, back pain and even death can occur. Recovery after surgery is also very slow. Laser therapy requires local anesthesia. It does not affect to other parts of our body. Thus, it is very safe and pre-treatment is not required. Recovery after therapy is fast and complication and scar do not appear. Failure rate of laser therapy is under 1.5%. Therefore, laser therapy is far superior to surgical treatment.
Like all other diseases, delayed treatment is equal to growth of disease. Varicose vein's symptoms become worse as time flows. Progress speed is also increased as patients get older. Thus, it should be treated right after diagnosis. Moreover, if patients treat varicose veins after progression, cost and effort to treat and recover become much bigger. Thus, treatment in initial stage is necessary.
I can see varicose veins in one leg. Do I have to exam the other leg?
Veins that are visually observed is merely a small part of the whole varicose veins. Veins that are severely ruined are not observed because they are located under the skin. And patients' subcutaneous cell number can affect to the visual observation. Therefore, patients should examine both legs if varicose vein's symptoms appear.
What are eczema and skin ulcer?
If venous blood circulation is chronically bad, eczema appears under the knees. Skin becomes slightly dark and thick. If this situation is prolonged, skin near the eczema shows necrosis and forms ulcer. Many patients do not treat the root of the problem; the varicose veins. If patients treat varicose veins, eczema and ulcer will disappear slowly.
If women become pregnant, we cannot treat varicose veins within 3 months after delivery. Varicose veins become more severe as time flow. Thus, diagnosis and treatment before pregnancy are required. Right before menopause appears, estrogen level is decreased and elasticity of vessels is also decreased. Therefore, varicose veins are worsened promptly. Examination and treatment are required to women near menopause.
Great saphenous vein and small saphenous vein are two major parts that varicose veins first appear. Through venous ultrasound examination, doctors can see those two veins' branches, origins and running patterns in detail. Direction of blood flow can also be observed through the changes of colors. Therefore, ultrasound examination is an essential exam to diagnose varicose veins exactly.
Diagnosis can be made only 10~15 after exam and patients feel no pain at all. But experience of the tester can affect to the result importantly. Thus, after exam, patients should judge whether the result gave enough explanation about the venous condition and result fits to their symptoms or not.
It is a treatment that injects STS (sodium tetradecyl sulfate, authorized by FDA) to ruined veins and destroys them naturally and slowly. Symptoms of varicose vein disappear right after the treatment. But ruined veins disappear slowly within 3~6 months after treatment. Thus, patients should have patience to see plastic effect.
Rarely, side effects such as small skin ulcer, allergy reaction and discoloration of skin can appear. But ulcers disappear within 3~5 weeks and discoloration is also recovered slowly.
First, we find out the varicose veins that are not observed visually through venous ultrasound. These hidden veins and stems are treated by laser. Visually observed veins are treated by sclerotherapy or ambulatory phlebectomy, considering size and location of varicose veins.
What is varicose vein?