3 Minimally Invasive Edema Treatments

3 Minimally Invasive Edema Treatments

Edema in your ankles, feet, and legs often stems from poor circulation in your legs. When leg veins start to fail, you could see symptoms like varicose veins along with the swelling that’s characteristic of the condition. 

When left untreated, edema in your legs can lead to skin conditions, including ulcers, sensations like itching and pain, and difficulty with standing and walking. Dr. Clement Banda at MD Vein & Skin Specialists expertly treats edema at every stage of the condition. 

Reasons for edema

The fluid that accumulates in your body and causes edema leaks from small blood vessels called capillaries. This can be mild and temporary, or it can develop into a serious, chronic condition. Women often experience edema along with other premenstrual symptoms or during pregnancy. Anyone can develop edema from too much salt in their diets or by sitting or standing for extended periods of time. 

A wide range of medications include edema as a side effect. These include: 

Edema can also emerge as part of serious diseases and conditions. Congestive heart failure reduces the efficiency of blood circulation. Some other medical conditions that aggravate edema are: 

Gravity and sedentary life conditions can make it hard to drain excess fluids from your legs, regardless of the primary cause of your edema. 

Treatments for edema

As with many medical conditions, treatment for edema usually starts with conservative methods and lifestyle changes. Reducing the amount of salt in your diet, increases of moderate exercise like walking and swimming, and periods of time with your legs elevated help your body to drain retained fluids. Compression stockings also serve to support the blood vessels in the legs, assisting drainage. If you don’t respond to these interventions, diuretic medications may be prescribed. 

When more aggressive treatment becomes necessary for venous conditions, Dr. Banda recommends three minimally invasive procedures to remove varicose veins, based on the best fit for your condition. 

Ambulatory phlebectomy

An outpatient procedure using small incisions, ambulatory phlebectomy physically removes problem veins near the skin. Local anesthetic is all that’s necessary during the procedure, and recovery is uncomplicated. 

Endovenous ablation

Using heat delivered by a laser or small catheter device, Dr. Banda seals off a vein, causing the body to absorb the vein’s tissue while rerouting blood in the surrounding area. Endovenous ablation also involves small incisions and local anesthesia. 

Foam sclerotherapy

An injectable treatment, sclerotherapy introduces an irritant into the target veins that causes the blood vessel to close up. Once again, your body removes the tissue over time. Sclerotherapy is often guided using ultrasound. 

All of these treatments are well-tolerated and require minimal downtime. To find out more about vein therapy to reduce edema, schedule a consultation with Dr. Banda at MD Vein & Skin Specialists. You can reach the office at 443-267-2428. Call now to book your session.

You Might Also Enjoy...

Persistent Leg Swelling: A Symptom You Should Never Ignore

Your doctor calls it edema, but you know it as swollen ankles and legs. Occasional puffiness after a long day on your feet may not be concerning, but persistent swelling can indicate other conditions, including some that you should never ignore.

3 Types of Endovenous Ablation — Which Is Right for You?

The go-to treatment for varicose vein removal is endovenous ablation. It’s not, however, a single technique. Three types of ablation are commonly used, each with its own characteristics, to tackle small, medium, and large varicose veins.

4 Risk Factors of Venous Ulcers You Should Know

Veins move blood back to the heart, but there are conditions when they can fail, causing blood to pool and press against vein walls. Usually affecting the lower legs and feet, venous insufficiency can cause slow-healing wounds called venous ulcers.

What Is Mole Mapping, and Am I a Good Candidate?

Of all skin cancers, melanoma is the most aggressive and potentially dangerous form. Mole mapping provides a frame of reference to monitor the appearance of moles and detection of new melanoma lesions in at-risk patients. Read on to learn more.

6 Types of Skin Growths and How to Treat Them

Since cancer of the skin is the most common form of the disease, the appearance of new growths may be unsettling. However, there are plenty of common, non-cancerous skin conditions too. Here’s a list of six that you may encounter.

Most People Miss These Signs of Vein Disease

Symptoms of vein disease are sometimes subtle or mistaken for other conditions. When symptoms are mild, it can be tempting to ignore them or wait for things to clear up. Learn to recognize these signs of vein disease to seek early treatment.