Can blue light therapy erase varicose veins?

Q. I'm really dismayed by several bulging varicose veins on my legs. I've heard blue light therapy might be an easy fix. Is that true?

A. Like many things that sound too good to be true, an easy solution to varicose veins doesn't usually pan out. Blue light therapy — which aims blue or violet light through a pen-like device — is used to treat a variety of conditions on or just under the skin. These include sun damage, acne, and spider veins, which often appear as flat, thin, reddish lines.

But thick, rope-like varicose veins — which are more common in women — run deeper than these other problems, making them more complicated to treat. While both spider and varicose veins can develop when blood doesn't flow through leg veins efficiently, varicose veins are usually more unsightly and may also make your legs feel heavy and tired.

Simply aiming blue light at varicose veins typically won't produce noticeable effects. Your doctor is likely to recommend a different treatment. For example, sclerotherapy and thermal ablation, which involve either injecting a chemical or inserting a heated catheter into the veins, can make varicose veins collapse. Ask your doctor to weigh in on your situation.

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