Why Laser Therapy and Foam Therapy Rather than Surgery

By Dr. Samuel P. Martin

Surgery has been shown over time to be effective. In the past, I performed many strippings when it was considered the best therapy. Surgery entailed multiple incisions in the leg under general anesthesia. Some patients who had other health issues were not candidates. It required a period of recovery--usually a few days but sometimes several weeks. Taking the veins out of the legs causes pain as do the incisions themselves. Overtime new veins form, especially in the upper thigh and lower legs. Tying the vein off in the groin predisposes to new veins. Pregnancy after an operation will cause new vein to form-guaranteed. In the past, the appearance of new veins or veins that weren’t completely eliminated necessitated further surgery.

With the endovenous laser treatment and foam sclerotherapy, the same if not better results can be obtained without general anesthesia, the pain of incisions or vein removal and there is less chance of recurrent veins in the upper thigh. The procedure can be performed safely in patients with other health issues. Recovery time is minimized by eliminating the trauma of taking veins out of the leg. New veins can appear later, especially if there is a pregnancy, but treatment may amount to one or two laser procedures or single injections.