This is a regular feature where Dr. Wright answers some of the questions sent to him:
Q: I have red marks after endovenous laser ablation and not blue/green marks. Should I be concerned?
A: Red veins that appear after this procedure care called “matting.” They can easily be treated with sclerotherapy and respond well to saline. Please seek your vein doctor’s input on this.
Q: I read that compression socks can help solve my varicose veins. What do I look for in socks?
A: You need to make sure the stockings are something you will use. That means you need to consider the look that you will be able to wear on a daily basis, the fit of the stockings, and the degree of compression. You also need to make sure while you are being fitted that you can put the stockings on and take them off easily. Sometimes a pair of rubber gloves helps with this, sometimes you need a donning device, which you can obtain from the same place you get your stockings. It’s most important that you get socks you will keep wearing. If they sit in your drawer, they are not doing you any good.
Q: How can you tell if a saphenous vein has reopened after treatment?
A: An ultrasound will tell for sure. If symptoms return, seek an ultrasound evaluation to determine closure of the vein.
Q: How does Asclera work? It’s been available in Europe for a long time but hasn’t been in the US long. Why?
A: Polidocanol, the medicine that is called Asclera here, has been in America for more than 30 years, with safe and widespread use. FDA rules required sclerosing drugs re-apply for approval, and the previously generic Polidocanol emerged as the brand name Asclera. It was already here, but reapplication has obscured this reliable medication’s history.
