Support stockings, also called compression stockings, are an easy intervention to use at home to help alleviate symptoms in the legs. Compression stockings improve circulation by increasing the pressure in the legs. These stockings come in a variety of styles and compression strengths. Your health care professional can recommend the proper pair for you. They are typically sold in drug stores and medical supply facilities.

A regular exercise program and weight loss can help relieve the symptoms of spider veins and varicose veins. Affected individuals should avoid standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time and elevate the legs while sitting or sleeping to improve the circulation and decrease swelling in the legs.

Sometimes the conservative management of spider veins and varicose veins at home may not yield the desired results. In these cases, more specialized medical procedures may be available, depending on the location and size of the abnormal veins. These medical procedures are often undertaken for cosmetic reasons. Sclerotherapy is a common procedure that can be performed in your physician’s office, and it is very effective in eliminating the majority of spider veins and some varicose veins. During this procedure, which requires no anesthesia, your physician will inject a liquid solution directly into the affected vein, which causes the vein to collapse and eventually fade away. Several sessions may be required for optimal results. Potential side effects include bruising, swelling, bleeding, infection, and skin discoloration.

Treatment with sclerotherapy can require multiple treatment sessions, and healing time may vary from individual to individual. Generally, spider veins will begin to fade within three to six weeks after treatment, while varicose veins may require several months to respond.

Laser therapy is another alternative medical procedure that also can be performed in your physician’s office. It is sometimes used as a complement to sclerotherapy in order to maximize results. It is most effective for spider veins and tiny varicose veins. For those individuals who do not like needles, this provides an alternative option, though your physician will counsel you on which treatment modality is best given your particular situation. Laser therapy uses a focused beam of light that heats and damages the affected blood vessel, which eventually fades. Potential side effects include minor redness or swelling around the treated area, skin discoloration, blisters, and rarely scarring. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy is a recently developed treatment for spider veins. IPL delivers pulses of different bands of light to targeted areas.

As with sclerotherapy, several sessions are frequently necessary for optimal results with laser therapy. Resolution can take anywhere from several weeks to several months after treatment

Surgery is an option for more severe cases of varicose veins. Your physician will discuss with you the various surgical procedures available in order to help you determine which treatment is optimal for varicose veins. One of the surgical procedures available is vein ligation and stripping, which involves cutting and tying off the affected vein (ligation) and surgically removing (stripping) it through small incisions in the skin.

Vein ligation and stripping is frequently successful at resolving both the symptoms and cosmetic appearance of varicose veins. This procedure is done under local, spinal, or general anesthesia in a hospital or outpatient surgical center. An overnight stay is rarely necessary. Full recovery from this procedure usually takes about two to four weeks. Potential complications may include infection, bleeding, scarring, nerve injury, a deep vein blood clot, or an adverse reaction to anesthesia.

Endovenous laser treatment is a minimally invasive surgical procedure which involves the emission of laser light through a thin fiber inserted into the affected vein, causing the vein to contract. Endovenous laser treatment has a 98% initial success rate. This procedure is performed as an outpatient procedure under local anesthesia or using light sedation. Patients report less pain and a faster recovery time with endovenous laser treatment when compared to vein ligation and stripping.

Endovenous radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that is similar to endovenous laser treatment. Instead of using a laser light, a catheter is inserted into the vein and using radiofrequency energy, the affected vein is heated and contracts. As with endovenous laser treatment, patients report less pain and quicker recovery times compared to vein ligation and stripping.