You’re So Vein
Varicose vein surgery: vanity or necessity?

By Kate Nolan 

Dr. Kulbhushan Sharma, founder and medical director of Glendale’s Arizona Vein and Laser Institute and Cosmetic Surgery, has treated thousands of patients for varicose veins, a vascular condition that some people mistakenly think of as a purely cosmetic complaint. In fact, varicose veins is really a serious medical diagnosis. We asked Dr. Sharma to set the record straight.

Is varicose vein surgery a cosmetic procedure or a medical necessity?

It is definitely a medical necessity. The condition can cause blood clots that extend into the deeper circulatory system and go to the lungs and be fatal. Medicare and insurance companies view it as a medical necessity. Varicose veins are veins that have become enlarged with extra blood. Your heart pumps blood through the arteries and your veins send the blood back to your heart. Healthy veins act as one-way valves and don’t let blood flow back down your legs. If a vein weakens, the blood pools in the vein causing varicose veins.

When should you see a doctor?

Most patients who come to see me have been suffering. Varicose veins produce symptoms like swelling, skin discoloration, heaviness of the legs, pain, tenderness, throbbing and night cramps. See a doctor if any one of them gets worse over a month or so. The condition occurs only in the legs or pelvis. The legs are vulnerable because we are on our feet a lot.

Who gets varicose veins?

I have treated patients in their teens and up to 90 years old. About 35 percent of females get it; 20 percent of males do. It runs in families. Some women
develop it after pregnancy. Men come in when the condition is way worse than when women come in. Men have to be manly—and they suffer for years. The question is: Why suffer? We can always help. Generally varicose veins don’t go away. Sometimes for pregnant women they do after pregnancy.

What’s the procedure like?

If I see a patient has large veins, we do an ultrasound in the office, checking to see if the valves have failed. If they have and the blood is pooling, we make an appointment to do the procedure, which takes 20 to 25 minutes. It’s an outpatient surgery with a local anesthetic. We use lasers to close down and burn the damaged veins. After a year, they are completely gone. Since you don’t go to sleep during the procedure, you can go back to work the next day. We follow up at two weeks, two months and one year.

Are there varicose arteries?

No. Arteries are different. They get calcified and become narrower and there are blockages. But veins get bigger and bigger and fail.

What risks are associated with the procedure?

There is a very low, very remote risk of bleeding. There is very little risk of infection, but it can occur. But if you need the procedure and don’t get it, you may develop an ulcer that never heals and your quality of life may continue to get worse with constant pain.

Can anything prevent varicose veins?

Not much. The biggest factor is family history. If your grandparents or parents have it, there’s a 50 percent chance you will. But it can depend on your work, particularly if you do heavy lifting or are on your feet all the time. The one preventive thing you can do, if you have one of those jobs, is to wear support stockings.

Dr. Sharma performs vascular surgery at Banner Thunderbird and Banner Boswell Medical Centers. To learn more, visit http://arizonaveinandlaser.com