Currently, according to the latest studies, 25% of Western people of adult age are the main sufferers of chronic venous disease. However, in Spain, varicose veins affect more than 60% of the population.
However, contrary to what is sometimes believed, varicose veins not only affect aesthetics, but can also lead to emotional and physical limitations in patients. Chronic venous disease can also cause the following complications:
- Mild: such as ulcers or thrombophlebitis.
- Serious: such as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary thromboembolism.
In this sense, the difficulty is greater, since on the one hand the disease must be solved, but on the other hand, we must try to eliminate the anti-aesthetic spider veins, commonly known as varicose veins, restoring health to the patient’s legs. This is possible through the use of the latest advances in technology, in the hands of qualified professionals.
What types of varicose veins are there?
- Spider veins or telangiectasias: intradermal or subdermal capillaries or venules 1mm thick that dilate. When small veins are present in the ankle it is a warning sign of advanced venous disease.
- Varicose or truncal veins: 3 mm irregularly shaped subcutaneous veins. Some may appear several years after varicose vein surgery, as in the case of recurrent varicose veins.
- Reticular varicose veins: subdermal veins in the reticular dermis that show a bluish color and a thickness of between 1 and 3 mm in diameter.
Most common treatments
Sclerotherapy
It consists of the injection of a liquid or foam into the spider veins that allow their elimination. For this purpose, varicose veins are found by means of transillumination, a method that makes it possible to locate varicose veins that are not visible to the naked eye.
In addition, the improvement of the technique has made it possible to treat all types of varicose veins without surgery.
Diode Laser
This laser allows the treatment of both larger varicose veins and spider veins.
Different types of lasers are used depending on the size of the varicose veins:
- Endovascular laser and radiofrequency: these are used to treat larger varicose veins. The laser is introduced into the vein through a catheter or fiber.
- Transcutaneous laser: this is a laser light that eliminates spider veins at the root.
Venaseal
This method consists of the application of a sealant inside the internal saphenous vein. This method has many advantages over other treatments of the saphenous vein as:
- Conventional surgery
- Saphenectomy
- Radiofrequency
- Endovascular Laser
- ClariVein
This method is completely ambulatory, so it only requires local anesthesia and does not produce stains or bruises. In addition, it is not necessary to wear compression stockings and is ideal for people with reduced leg mobility, as in the case of people with osteoarthritis of the knee, for whom it is a great difficulty to put on compression stockings on a daily basis.
Varicose vein surgery
This surgical method allows the elimination of varicose veins that depend on the saphenous trunks and the external and internal saphenous veins. In cases where the shape of these veins presents severe irregularities, minimally invasive surgical techniques are used to ensure that the result is fully satisfactory.