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A varicose vein starts out as little more than a visual problem but it can lead, over time, to leg swelling, fatigue and pain. The reduced flow of blood to your legs causes your legs to tire quickly and often make them feel as heavy as lead weights. If left untreated the varicose vein can get serious to the point of causing leg ulcers, impaired walking, leg cramps and blood clots. Correcting the problem used to involve hospitalization, surgical removal of the varicose vein and a long recovery period. It can make one shudder just to think about it. Today, however, utilizing the latest laser technology, in many cases, much of that old surgical procedure can be a thing of the past.

The benefits of this new laser procedure for varicose vein treatment are considerable. There is really no preparation work required at all. It can be done as an outpatient procedure and generally takes less than an hour start to finish. The old surgical procedure often took 4 to 6 hours or more. Total anesthesia for the laser procedure is not required and there is only minimal pain. When everything is done there is no scarring. The incision to insert the laser is so small that there is no need for stitches. When the doctor is done with the laser there is really no recovery period at all. Vigorous physical activity is discouraged for the first day or two after laser treatment but generally you walk out of the outpatient facility and return to your normal daily activities immediately. There may be some minor itching and tenderness for a week or so afterwards but not enough to limit your activities. Sometimes you have to go back for a second or third follow up laser procedure to obtain complete resolution of the problem. Of course that will vary from individual to individual.

The technical name for this procedure is endovenous laser therapy. The laser used is very precise and delivers a very controlled dose of laser energy. The doctor will insert a very small thin laser fiber into your thigh. Even though your varicose vein shows up in your lower leg area the real cause of the problem is almost always a faulty valve in your upper leg. Once the laser is properly positioned in your upper leg he will activate the laser. The heat from the laser energy will cause the blood in that area of the vein to coagulate and close off the diseased varicose vein. This will cause the entire vein from there down into your lower leg to shrink and be absorbed back into your body. The number of veins in your legs is huge so the loss of the one varicose vein is not a problem for your circulatory system. The blood that normally would have gone through the diseased varicose vein will now go through other healthier veins.

This laser procedure has proven to be more than 96 percent effective at eliminating the problem with a varicose vein. So there is still a chance that you may have to undergo the old vein removal procedure. But your chances of solving a varicose vein problem quickly and easily with laser technology are better than ever before.

# posted by Medical Information : 2:59 AM