“Do varicose veins come back after treatment?”
I am scheduled to have laser treatment of my varicose vein. It is the superficial vein that runs the full length of my right leg. Will the problem be gone permanently after the procedure?
19 Answers
Yes they can come back depending on underlying cause. And depending on how the vein is treated (laser, radio frequency, sclerosing agents) they can reopen even when treated
Varicose veins can and do recur frequently. They can also be re-treated if they recur.
Vivienne J. Halpern
Vascular Surgeon
There is a good chance it will be gone permanently but a certain percentage of patients the vein reopens or other veins develop - this is dependent on your other vein anatomy and how big the vein being treated is and whether you take any blood thinners
That depend upon what the problem is. Generally speaking, people need to wear, even after the treatment that you're describing, support stockings for life. It is very common for people to have recurrent varicose veins. The vein that you're being treated probably will not come back but others frequently will form.
Not necessarily no. Vein disease is progressive and about 20% of people will continue to have problems requiring treatment in the same or other leg.
The treatment does have 4-8% failure rate as the veins can recanalize and thus cause symptoms again.
It depends how the veins are fixed. Yes, they can come back, but the recurrence rate is low.
Although the laser procedure will close the vein down, the body is always making new veins. It is a matter of survival so to speak. Smaller veins such as reticular or spider veins can develop in the area or blushing or matting can occur post operatively. Other options for treatment post procedure include sclerotherapy and other laser treatments to the area.
For the most part there will be significant improvement if done with ultrasonic guidance endoscopically.
Endovenous laser ablation provides permanent closure of the insufficient vein being treated. Varicose veins could be present that branch off the vein to be ablated. These veins may decompress or shrink after the closure but sometimes need to be removed surgically. There are many other veins throughout the leg that could develop leaky valves over time. Your recent ultrasound likely shows only one vein that needs treatment at this time.
Lasers can be used on the skin surface or inside the vessels to destroy the vessels. No treatment guarantees that the varicose veins will not return unless you manually remove the vessels.
Yes. Patients with varicose veins require treatment and often return for more treatment. Varicose veins grow in all areas of the legs, but the same veins that were treated generally don't come back, it is typically new varicosities.
All treatments have failures rates. Fortunately, this one is very low (~5%). Varicosities might occur in different veins over time . However all the veins should be examined before treatment of then Saphenous veins.
I am sorry to say that varicose veins have a tendency to come back. How severe and how many varicose veins you have determines the recurrence rate. However, laser treatment if very effective and in the right hands might give you the results you need for a long time. Good luck on your procedure.
Not permanently, you probably will get new ones over time.
We treat vein problems, we don't cure them. While the vein may be eliminated, if you have a tendency to have vein problems, then you will have a tendency to have vein problems.
It depends on the type of laser used and the experience of the user. Also, the body may respond with what is called neovascularization and create new veins. The odds though are good that the area will not recur. There is also a small chance of changes in pigmentation in the area treated.
Adam Sills
Dermatologist
It is unlikely that the problem will be gone permanently, as the vein is still there. The more consistent you are with wearing compression stockings, controlling weight and exercising, then the longer your results will last.
From my experience, doing Derm lasers to get rid of superficial veins, many of my patients had had the surgery and it did not work and came to me for the laser treatment and it did amazing things, and yes they were permanently moved. Now depending on how many you have, you may have to go through multiple treatments as you have to know what your doing. My advice is going to someone highly trained, but someone who knows what they are doing can get rid of the small little red veins, but if they are all over, or if it's the darker ones, it will take few sessions, but depends on where you go and how good they are at it and of course, the machine.
