How Long Does Varicose Vein Removal Last?
If varicose veins are treated with modern endovenous methods instead of surgery, for example, at our vein center in Zurich, there is virtually no stimulus for local vessel regrowth. The recurrences typical of surgery, with chaotic and difficult-to-treat new formations of varices, affect about 40-65% of patients within 3 years. With modern methods, depending on their quality, recurrences after 3 years are observed in 15-58% of cases, meaning they are less frequent on average. Some procedures, such as the angioclinic® vein laser, which we use with great success in Zurich, have virtually no recurrences even after 12 years (< 6%). Vein problems sometimes worsen with each surgery; after a good modern therapy, they consistently diminish. This also applies to costs. A re-operation is very expensive (hospital, anesthesia), whereas microsclerotherapy
is inexpensive and uncomplicated.
Dr. Ragg explains the decisive difference :
“After vein surgery, the region is always more or less damaged. Varicose veins are not embedded in tissue like spaghetti in a pot, where you just need to pull them out. All connective tissue connections, venous side branches and deep connections, small arteries, small nerves, lymphatic vessels, and fascia suffer significant damage from surgery. The region becomes scarred, the anatomy is completely altered, and new diseased veins often emerge like weeds from multiple sources. It’s a nightmare to operate again in the scarred area! It’s completely different with modern procedures: there are no scars, the anatomy is unchanged, and a few drops of microsclerosing foam quickly restore the desired state.”
Every vein disease, as long as nothing is done about it, has a tendency to recur at some point – like tooth decay. Under the condition of a qualified annual check-up and, if necessary, a mini-therapy with a few drops of sclerosing foam, every patient can be assured today that they will never again have varicose veins get. This is not general knowledge, but Dr. Ragg’s experience from 25 years of vascular medicine in Zurich, Munich, and Berlin. It corresponds to the exemplary and convincing experience that you have hopefully already had with dental prophylaxis!
For purely aesthetic findings, such as spider veins, which can consist of thousands of tiny veins, a few new ones can easily appear over time. Here, the prognosis is that a once-achieved aesthetic state can also be maintained with minimal annual effort. Please compare this to a garden that is regularly weeded. It simply looks more well-maintained!
If you want to know exactly what we can do for you, please make your appointment with Dr. Ragg now !