Hi, Dr. Adam Goldman of the Metropolitan Vein and Aesthetic Center. I’m here to talk to you today about vein treatments after care, the recovery after any vein treatment, and finally a question we get a lot. How soon can I safely travel after my vein treatment? So, let’s go ahead and get started.
Vein Treatment Aftercare
So let’s first talk about the aftercare after a vein treatment. The first, most important principle is the use of compression stockings. In general, we always use compression stockings after any vein treatment. The only exception is Venusil, which is a glue used to close a vein. That is the only case where you would not use compression stockings. As well as the time and the way you use the stockings change a little bit depending on the procedure. So, your provider will give you exact instructions when you do the procedure. Microphlebectomy
Next, you want to bathe regularly with soap and water and running water. You don’t want to be sitting in a bath. That will help prevent infection. The next thing is if you have any swelling, it’s a good idea to elevate the legs whenever you’re lying or sitting down or in bed at night. That will help reduce the swelling and improve the recovery. And the last thing is that you can do any of your normal activities. You can cook, you can clean, you can drive, you can work, there’s no problem.
However, the one exception is getting very sweaty. So, we want to avoid sweaty exercise, saunas, jacuzzis, and immersion in water. The reason being is that we make little holes in the skin when we’re doing these procedures. We also cause inflammation. We cause some swelling of the area and the bacteria that live on our skin naturally are usually prevented from going into the skin because it’s intact. When we disrupt the skin, there’s a greater chance for infection. So, we want to prevent that by avoiding these sweaty activities. After about three days, these little holes and the inflammation go away. So, it’s safe to resume all these other activities, including exercise. The one exception to this rule is when you do a Microphlebectomy. When we remove the veins, the superficial veins through the skin, we make a larger hole. So, it is best to wait a week before you start doing any sweaty activities to allow time for those holes to close. But usually after 3 days, you’re good to go.
Recovery After Vein Treatments
Next, let’s talk about the recovery after vein treatments. So, typically, there is either little to no pain after the treatment. However, this is very variable. And in fact, one side that you did a procedure on, you may recover without any discomfort at all. The other side may be more sore than you expected, whilst you could have bruising and irritation and swelling. All these things are common. However, most of the time the recovery is uneventful with very little discomfort.
If you have discomfort, some strategies are to take some kind of over-the-counter pain reliever. The most important class of medication is the non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. This includes Advil, ibuprofen, Naproxen or Aleve, and aspirin. All these are great medications you can use. You can also use Tylenol or acetaminophen. However, in general, if the NSAIDs do not irritate your stomach or cause you any kind of reactions, that’s usually a better choice because it is anti-inflammatory and gives you pain relief. However, if you have a problem taking these medications, you can always take it with food. If it bothers your stomach, then Tylenol or acetaminophen is a good other option.
So, when you are taking any of these medications, if you have a lot of discomfort, it’s a good idea to take it on a regular basis. Often, people have some discomfort, they take a dose, and then they don’t take it again till they start hurting again. And that’s not usually the best strategy. So if you’re feeling uncomfortable, sometimes it’s good to take a couple of doses in a row. So if you’re taking Advil, for example, that’s dosed every three to four times a day. It’s a good idea to take whatever dose you want, to take 400, 600, or 800 milligrams. You could take that, let’s say, two or three times in a day for a couple of days, and when you start feeling better, cut back on the frequency. Another strategy is to use both the non-steroidals and Tylenol together. So, for example, if you take a couple of Advil for the pain, you still feel uncomfortable, an hour or two or later, you can always take some Tylenol on top of that. And the two really work on different pathways, and it’s a great combination to make you feel comfortable.
Although you may get much better in the first few days, there’s sometimes some mild soreness or irritation that can persist. Sometimes it could take a month or two or three to feel absolutely normal. I myself did my veins. It took me about three months to feel absolutely perfect. It doesn’t mean that I was suffering in pain. However, I did have a little mild discomfort. I did notice it, but it was certainly tolerable and well worth the discomfort for the great results. So, you’re generally going to feel fine. However, any kind of medication for pain is definitely warranted if you’re uncomfortable.
When Can You Travel After Vein Treatment?
Next, let’s talk about how soon you can travel after your treatment. So I will break it down into the different types of treatments to recommend what is best for the individual treatments.
Endovenous Vein Ablation
The first thing I’m talking about is endovenous vein ablation. This is usually the initial procedure that we do on most patients. Sometimes a laser is used, sometimes radio frequency, but whatever modality is used, generally it is safe to travel. However, we always do a follow-up ultrasound to make sure there is no venous thrombosis in the main veins of the leg before you travel. So, let’s say you’re going away next week and you do the procedure. I usually have you do the follow-up before you go, and that way it’s safe to travel. We say, “Okay, now it’s safe to travel on a plane for a few hours. There’s no clot, so there’s no issue.” And that’s usually the best way to approach it.
Varithena
Next thing is Varithena. So if we do varithena and we close the veins with the Polidocanol solution, the only issue there is that sometimes you can have a retained clot after the procedure. This is often very uncomfortable. It can happen a few days, sometimes up to two to three weeks after the procedure. So usually, if I have a patient who’s going to travel, I usually recommend that we do that after they come back. And it’s perfectly safe. However is not a lot of fun. You spend money on your vacation. You expect to have a good time, and you have a sore irritated feeling, it’s not a good way to go on your vacation. So to avoid that, I usually recommend that we have enough time to make sure that you do not need any afterare such as a drainage of these retained clots after the vaththena.
Sclerotherapy
Next after sclerotherapy, it’s perfectly safe to travel. There’s no issue. However, the issue becomes that often people are going someplace where they want to show their legs. So, they think if they get their veins injected, they’re going to be great and good to go. However, after the injections, the problem is there is some bruising and irritation next. It takes about four weeks for the veins to go away. So, if you’re planning to go on a trip and have these beautiful-looking legs, it’s probably better to do it way before you leave or after you come back. And finally, it is good to avoid tanning after any of these procedures, but specifically sclerotherapy. What you don’t want is after these little marks, after the injections are there, that you now get a suntan because sometimes it can darken those marks and they become more permanent and we certainly want to avoid that. So, I usually recommend that if you get injections and you’re going on vacation and you’re going to expose your legs, you must use a good amount of sunblock or cover your legs. Otherwise, wait till you leave.
Contact Our Vein Specialists Today
So once again, we’ve talked about the after treatment, after a vein procedure, the recovery, and finally, when is it safe to travel. So as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. We’re on the web at www.nymetrovein.com, and we’re on Instagram @nymetrovein, or you can call one of our offices if you want to schedule an appointment. We’d love to see you to help evaluate what options you have to look and feel better with your vein disease. Thank you.
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