mayologo
  • Patient Online Services
  • Request an Appointment
    • Find
      a Service
    • Find
      a Provider
    • Find
      a Location
    • Visit
      our Blog
    • Contact
      Us
    • Patient Stories
    • Request an Appointment
    • Patient Online Services
    • Pay Bills Online
    • Donate
    • Careers
    • For Patients & Visitors
    • For Medical Professionals
    • Volunteer
    • About Us
    • Press Room
    • Mayo Clinic
    • CaringBridge
    ERROR!

    Find Classes & Events in Your Area

    • Home
    • Billing & Insurance
    • Careers
    • Online Services
    • Patients & Visitors
    • Services & Treatments
    • Volunteer
    Need to make an appointment?
    • 715-838-6320

    Vascular Medicine

    • Overview
    • Vascular Services
    • Peripheral Artery Disease
    • Treatment Options
    • Varicose Veins

    Recent Blogs

    • Patient Stories
      Dedication fuels star cardiac rehab patient
      October 25, 2019
    • Speaking of Health
      Over-the-counter, prescription medication safety
      July 31, 2019
    • Patient Stories
      Kindhearted kid perseveres through multiple heart surgeries
      July 29, 2019
    • Patient Stories
      Keeping the beat: Keith Glasshof survives two heart events in one year
      May 07, 2019
    • Speaking of Health
      Memory loss
      March 30, 2019

    Varicose Veins

    If you have you have gnarled, enlarged veins, you have varicose veins. Though any vein may become varicose, the most commonly affected are in your legs and feet. Many people are only concerned about how varicose veins and spider veins — a common, mild variation of varicose veins — look. For others, varicose veins are uncomfortable and cause aching pain.

    Symptoms include:

    • Veins that are dark purple or blue
    • Veins that appear twisted and bulging, often like cords
    • An achy or heavy feeling in your legs
    • Muscle cramping, burning, throbbing or swelling in your lower legs
    • Itching around your veins
    • Increased pain after sitting or standing for a long time
    • Bleeding from varicose veins
    • Skin ulcers near your ankle

    Try these self-care options first to ease varicose vein pain or stop varicose veins from worsening:

    • Exercising
    • Maintaining a healthy weight
    • Wearing looser clothing
    • Elevating your legs
    • Avoiding sitting or standing for long periods of time
    • Wearing compression stockings

    If you're concerned about how your veins look and feel, and self-care measures haven't stopped your condition from getting worse, see your health care provider.

    You may have heard stories from the past about vein stripping or other invasive treatments for varicose veins. These treatments required a long recovery time and left long scars on the legs. Technology has advanced, and there are many minimally invasive treatment options that can make a difference with little-to-no downtime or scarring, including:

    • Ablation and laser surgeries — Heat or light is used to damage the vein, causing it to collapse and fade away.
    • Sclerotherapy — A solution is injected into the vein, causing it to collapse.
    • Stab avulsion phlebectomy — Tiny incisions are made directly over a large varicose vein and it is removed in specific sections. The incisions usually are less than a half centimeter, and you will have little or no pain.

    The process of destroying the veins with these techniques begins immediately, and most people see full results in about two months. After the treatment, your blood circulation is not reduced because it already has been rerouted to other healthy veins nearby.

    Stay Connected

    • Rss Feed

    Find Out What’s Happening in Your Community

    Stay Informed with the Latest
    • Notice of Nondiscrimination
    • Notice of Privacy Practices
    • Terms of Use
    © 2018 - 2020 Mayo Clinic Health System