Varicose Veins Solutions

Bare your legs with confidence

Your legs have gotten you where you’ve wanted to go for years, so chances are you want to keep them looking beautiful. But for over 20 million American women, vein problems can not only cause legs to appear less than perfect, but can also evolve into more serious health issues.


And for these conditions, which are much more than skin deep, solutions can vary from quick lunchtime solutions to more medically complex procedures. 


“There has been a persistent misconception that varicose veins represent solely a cosmetic concern, which is false,” says Giancarlo Piano, MD, a senior attending physician in general vascular surgery at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center. “My most common patient is the 40-year-old woman who spends her life standing, whether taking care of kids or conducting business in the office. Complaints can include everything from leg fatigue and heaviness, along with swelling and skin changes. Often these symptoms point to a vein problem, one that can be associated with skin changes ranging from a mild dermatitis to sometimes the worst stage of venous ulcers. In fact, varicose veins frequently cause pain, swelling and disfigurement.”


Varicose veins are known to be hereditary, but technology has come far since your mom or grandmother was dealing with not the vein’s appearance, but the pain that often accompanies it. For over 10 years, ultrasound has allowed medical professionals to evaluate leg issues with the ability to diagnose problems rather easily, accurately and virtually pain free. One of the breakthrough treatments garnishing a ton of attention these days is the FDA-cleared catheter procedure that uses a radiofrequency “microwave on a stick” to resolve the condition by heating and sealing the primary leg vein in minutes. While the patient is under sedation, she is often wide awake and can be out of the office in no more than an hour.


“Radio frequency ablation, or microwave on a stick, is a procedure where a tiny puncture is made in the skin for placement of the RFA catheter into the abnormal varicose veins of the legs,” explains Dr. Piano. “Statistics show that this procedure is over 97 percent successful in correcting indicated vein abnormalities, and symptom relief is rapid. Things have really come far from the days of the old procedure called vein stripping, which often required a general anesthetic and a recovery time of over two weeks.” 


For those who might be experiencing milder vein issues in the legs, there are things you can do rather easily to help with some of the symptoms, right in your own home. “It’s about defying gravity,” says Heron Rodriguez, MD, a vascular surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. “Varicose veins occur when the valves inside the veins don’t work properly, and the weight on the legs causes the problems. I tell many of my patients to take moments throughout the day to put their feet up, whether it’s up on top of their desk in the office or elevated by way of a recliner chair when they’re home from work. There was a time when compression stockings were also suggested, but those cannot be very attractive and cause patitents to sweat easily. Most of the time, just eliminating the weight on your legs can be a simple and effective solution.”

Tagged as: health, health care and vein problems