Can Laser Treatment Remove Varicose Veins?

Endovenous laser ablation, also known as endovenous laser treatment, is one of the most popular and effective vein treatments available. Endovenous laser treatment is a minimally invasive procedure for chronic venous insufficiency, the root cause of varicose veins. Instead of removing the varicose veins, endovenous laser treatment addresses the root cause of the problems, following which additional treatments are necessary for varicose veins. To understand how endovenous laser treatment works, you must understand the correlation between varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency.

Chronic venous insufficiency is the root cause of most vein problems. It’s a medical condition wherein your vein valves are damaged. In healthy veins, the valves act as one-way doors ensuring one-way blood flow towards the heart, often against the force of gravity. When your vein valves collapse or malfunction, gravity forces blood to flow backward and accumulate in the leg veins, leading to spider veins, varicose veins, and other vascular conditions. Since varicose veins are caused by vein disease, an effective varicose vein treatment should address the root cause first.

Endovenous laser treatment is the first line of treatment for patients diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. If you have vein disease, the vein doctor will administer a minimally invasive endovenous laser treatment to seal or collapse the diseased saphenous vein responsible for your vein problems. Once the diseased vein is collapsed, blood reroutes into healthier leg veins, restoring optimal blood circulation to the heart. After endovenous laser treatment, the vein doctor may perform an ambulatory phlebectomy to remove the varicose veins from the skin’s surface.

Endovenous laser treatment doesn’t remove all the varicose veins from the skin’s surface. But it’s the first line of treatment in making sure your varicose veins don’t return later.

Your endovenous laser ablation starts with a thorough evaluation and diagnosis. The vein doctor examines your leg veins, discusses your symptoms, reviews your health history, and administers an ultrasound diagnostic test, known as duplex ultrasound. During the duplex ultrasound, the vein doctor will use ultrasound energy to visualize the direction of blood flow in your leg veins, which will reveal the presence or absence of chronic venous insufficiency. If you have vein disease, the vein doctor may decide to perform endovenous laser treatment.

Endovenous laser ablation is an in-office procedure performed under local anesthesia. The vein doctor administers local anesthesia to ensure comfort, following which they make a small incision on the skin’s surface. The incision mark is an entry point for a specialized catheter with a laser fiber that’s driven into the diseased saphenous vein under ultrasound guidance. Once the catheter is lodged in place, the vein doctor delivers tumescent anesthesia to protect the surrounding tissues. The vein doctor activates the catheter to generate laser energy and destroy the diseased vein.

The entire procedure should conclude within 30 to 60 minutes. After performing endovenous laser treatment, the vein doctor will apply pressure on your legs while you stand up. You will receive a clear set of aftercare guidelines, following which you can resume your daily activities.