Is Varicose Veins Treatment Painful? What You Can Expect

If you’re considering treatment for unsightly veins it can be difficult to narrow down your treatments and even harder to avoid misinformation that may leave you fearful. If you’ve landed on this blog post you’re in luck. Our team of board-certified interventional radiologists and other highly trained medical professionals offer a range of minimally invasive procedures for the removal of varicose and spider veins. But before delving deeper into the subject, let’s first allay your fears by telling you that varicose veins treatment at The Midwest Institute for Non-Surgical Therapy is not painful.

What to expect

Varicose veins are probably more common than you think. In fact, more than 14 million people in the US suffer from them – that’s around 12.5% of the country’s entire population. So, you’re certainly not alone.

You may have read horror stories about traditional surgeries for vein removal such as vein stripping and litigation that are extremely painful and involve weeks of rest before you get back to your normal self. Fortunately, modern vein treatments have moved forward in leaps and bounds. Here at MINT, for example, all our vein treatment options are minimally invasive which means patients are treated as outpatients at our clinics with no overnight or hospital stay. Most treatments can be completed in an hour or less and patients can even drive themselves home afterward.

Local anesthesia and sedation for a comfortable procedure

Sure, you may feel a little discomfort from the prick of a needle, but it’s no different to a shot you’ve probably received at various times from a nurse. For some of our vein treatments such as Endovenous Laser Ablation (ELA) and Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA), we administer light sedation via a small needle to ensure patients feel comfortable during treatment. You may feel the sensation of pressure as you’re treated, but no pain. Our doctor can always administer a little more sedation if you’re experiencing discomfort.

A few of our treatments, including the RFA and EVLA methods mentioned earlier, utilize heat and laser technology. These techniques work by either applying pulsating light to eliminate visible veins or using heat energy to seal off unhealthy veins, allowing them to be reabsorbed into the body. During these procedures, you may feel a mild warming sensation, but there is no risk of burning. A gentle topical anesthetic combined with ultrasound guidance ensures that you remain comfortable and unaware of the heat, enabling our vein specialists to carry out the treatments with maximum efficiency.

The most important thing to know as you schedule an appointment with our vein doctors is that all our vein treatments are minimally invasive, so any downtime involves little more than wearing compression stockings, elevating your legs, and avoiding strenuous activities for a few days. Ultimately, you can slip back into your everyday routine with ease and you’ll feel the improvement and benefit to your legs immediately.

Why treat varicose veins?

Varicose veins are a symptom of a condition called Chronic Venous Insufficiency or CVI for short. This is a progressive disease that gets worse when left untreated. Venous ulcers are another common symptom and are extremely difficult to treat. Chronic venous ulcers are painful and debilitating. Prevention, as they say, is better than cure and this is certainly the case with vein treatments. Managing your veins before they evolve to ulcers, blood clots and deep vein thrombosis, will save you a lot of time, pain and money in the long term. A quick prick from a needle has to be preferable to open surgery and a stay in the hospital.

So now you know that varicose veins treatment does not hurt, you may be wondering whether they incur any side effects.

Possible after effects

Although our vein treatments are minimally invasive, some patients may experience minor side effects and it’s important to be aware of these before you leave our clinic.

Some patients (particularly those who bruise easily in everyday life) may experience mild bruising following ablation treatments. The injection site may discolor but this by no means indicates the treatment has failed. It’s simply a natural bodily response to puncturing the skin with a small needle.

A tiny percentage of patients undergoing VenaSeal treatment may experience minor inflammation if their body reacts to the medical adhesive, resulting in itching and slight swelling in the leg that has been treated. If this happens to you, then reach out to your vein doctor who can prescribe an anti-inflammatory solution based on your medical history, to ease any discomfort.

Our vein doctors believe in total transparency and will have an honest talk with you regarding your recovery time, however minimal.  If they think you’re likely to bruise they’ll tell you there’s no need to worry and give you advice on the best ways to maximize your results.

Compression stockings help reduce post-swelling and drastically improve blood circulation, as does drinking plenty of water and elevating your legs. It’s also important to avoid sun exposure following laser treatment to reduce the risk of sun damage and discoloration.

These are easy-to-manage lifestyle changes that our care team will discuss with you both in our clinic and during your follow-up appointment.

The takeaway

Due to their minimally invasive nature, varicose vein treatments at MINT are not painful. You shouldn’t feel anything more than a light sting from an anesthetic needle and nor will you be left to your own devices when it comes to managing your aftercare.

Putting off vein treatment due to misinformation or fear could result in the condition of your veins significantly worsening. If you’re concerned about your varicose veins why not schedule an appointment with MINT for an evaluation and to find out more about our vein therapies? Call or book online with MINT today.