Involvement of a small area will subside spontaneously in a few days, but the induration may persist for a few weeks. Very thin walled aneurysmal dilations, more common in the elderly, may rupture and hemorrhage with minimal trauma if the overlying skin is very thin. Hyperesthesia may be associated with varicose veins, and subcutaneous calcification or ossification may occur in long-standing cases due to periphlebitis in the lower leg. Prognosis and Treatment Varicose veins are incurable regardless of the method of treatment. Veins that appear normal at the time of the initial treatment may later become varicose, but these are not true recurrences.
Treatment is primarily to relieve symptoms and manage complications.
Patients with asymptomatic varicosities often seek cosmetic treatment. Lightweight compression hosiery for small, mildly symptomatic varicose veins is helpful and often adequate. Injection therapy can treat virtually all varices. In experienced hands, injection therapy with compression and appropriate aftercare gives excellent results and requires no hospitalization. After injection, while the patient's leg is still elevated and appropriate foam pads are placed over the injected veins to compress them and maintain apposition of the walls, compression bandages are applied from the base of the toes to above the highest injection site.