Varicose Vein StrippingVaricose veins can be very annoying and ungainly to look at. Their presence restricts a person to wearing long pants all the time when they go outside the house, and can be very embarrassing on the beach. Hence, people would naturally want to get rid of them. Fortunately, there are varicose vains treatments that can be performed by qualified surgeons to get rid of the problematic veins. What Can Cause Varicose Veins? What can cause varicose veins? It is usually the stretching of veins in the legs that causes varicose veins. When this happens, the veins are twisted and become distorted which results in backward blood flow and malfunctioning of the veins themselves. The backward flow causes the blood to accumulate in the veins, resulting in a bloated appearance and pain. How Can Varicose Veins Be Treated? One of these treatments is varicose vein stripping. This is done to remove the largest surface varicose veins in the legs scientifically called the saphenous veins. These veins are the major blood channels for the veins near the skin of the legs. This is usually accompanied by a procedure intended for smaller veins called a small incision avulsion. People may choose to undergo this procedure for aesthetical or medical reasons. Unfortunately, not all people with varicose veins can undergo this treatment. Older persons are generally discouraged from undergoing vein stripping surgery especially if they have other medical conditions that might become complicated after the procedure. People whose arteries are not circulating blood properly are also prohibited from taking such a procedure. Other people who cannot undergo vein stripping are pregnant women, and people with lymphedema and skin infections, among others. Is It Safe to Undergo Vein Stripping? Vein stripping is generally safe for people with varicose viens. Of course, there are risks involved. The most major risk is damage to the deep vein system in the legs. If this happens, the problem may be accentuated by surgery. Other risks are common in all types of surgery, like infection, bleeding and risks associated with anesthesia. Scarring and recurrence of these veins are also some of the risks involved. There have been concerns within the medical community with the removal of the great saphenous veins of the legs since these veins can serve as substitute nerves for heart surgeries. However, recent medical opinion has shown that the saphenous veins cannot function as vein grafts if they are damaged and have become varicose. What Are the Side Effects of Vein Stripping? Varicose vein stripping is generally an out-patient procedure. This means that there are no major side effects to the procedure, and patients can usually leave the hospital hours after the surgery. At most, the patient stays only a day in the hospital after the procedure. Because of damage from the removed veins, patients who undergo vein stripping can expect bleeding from the veins. Doctors address through compression treatment with bandages and compression stockings. Numbness can also result, but sensation usually returns after a few hours. In all cases, patients are back to normal within 2 weeks. |