The unpleasant small blue or purple veins on your skin can be painful or lower your confidence and self-esteem. Fortunately, several treatment options such as sclerotherapy can be employed at Advanced Heart and Vascular Associates to manage the spider veins in Land O Lakes, Florida. The procedure is minimally invasive and is considered the most effective and best possible option to manage the condition. But to maximize the results, specialized care is required before and after the treatment. Here are some of the ways you can care for your legs following spider veins treatment.
Walk Around After Treatment
Immediately after your treatment, your provider may ask you to move around for a little bit. This will help keep your circulation going and let the blood move away from the treated spider veins to the surrounding healthy veins. It also helps prevent clots from forming.
Move Your Legs
Remaining sedentary for an extended period causes spider veins in the first place. Therefore, if you continue with the same after treatment, you may affect the procedure’s effectiveness or cause worse issues such as blood clots. Therefore, depending on the nature of your job, it would be good to stand and move around for a few minutes frequently. You can also take long walks for about 15-20 minutes, particularly in the morning, to help your blood flow to your legs after sleeping. It would also help to take short walks in the evenings.
Compression Stockings
This is one thing your provider can prescribe for you after your treatment to boost circulation in your legs. You can wear compression bandages on the treated area or recommended full stockings for about three weeks or as instructed by your doctor. Also, your provider will tell you when to wear them and for how long as you may be required to wear them all-time for the first week and later wear them only when engaging in an activity.
Limit Sun Exposure
It would be good to avoid sun exposure, particularly to the treated area, for at least 2-3 weeks. This is because you cannot use any lotion during this period meaning that sunblock will be insufficient. Direct sunlight will harm the treated area, which can result in complications.
Go for Follow Up
After about one week following your treatment, you must go back to the clinic and have your doctor examine the treated area to check up on the progress. This can help catch any complications early before they advance. It also creates an opportunity for your provider to advise you on at-home care practices depending on the progress. Your provider can schedule several follow-up appointments for the next few months, depending on the depth of your condition. If you have experienced any issues, this is an excellent time to discuss them with your doctor.
Seek Subsequent Treatments
Some treatments, such as sclerotherapy, may require subsequent treatments for optimal results. A single sclerotherapy session removes 50-80% of the spider veins, meaning you might need several other sessions to eliminate the condition. During your follow-up appointments, do not forget to discuss subsequent treatments with your provider. However, note a single session may not be enough depending on the scale of your problem.
Learn how to get rid of those spider veins by contacting Advanced Heart & Vascular Associates today. Your provider will also help you learn how to take care of your legs for optimal results.