Can You Shave Your Legs After Varicose Vein Treatment?

Most women who seek varicose vein treatment don't want to walk around with hairy legs after their procedure! So, common questions that vein doctors get asked after varicose vein treatment is, "Can I shave my legs?" or "When can I shave my legs?"

The answer to this of course will vary with the type of varicose vein treatment you received. Also, it is important to say right up front that you should ALWAYS check with your own personal vein doctor if you have a question like this. Only he or she is fully familiar with your specific case and the varicose vein treatment you received. As such, only he or she can accurately field such a question.

However, common sense does come into play here. Obviously, if you have any bleeding, stitches, or open wounds, you should probably err on the side of caution and delay shaving your legs. You, and perhaps your partner, may just have to live with your hairy legs a bit longer. Always put safety above cosmetics! Remember, hairy legs are just a temporary condition and Europeans seem to think it's sexy! So, if you or your partner aren't used to your hairy legs, just pretend you're traveling in Italy... and you know what they say, "When in Rome, live as the Romans do!"

All ladies (and men) who shave their legs should also keep something else in mind. If you are not careful and you nick a vein during shaving, this is the type of injury that can actually cause a varicose vein. This is certainly not true in every case but it can and does happen. Further, if you nick a vein, and then you allow it to get infected, this can cause more extensive damage to your veins that can lead to varicose veins.

You may also want to plan ahead and shave your legs the night before you have your varicose vein treatment. This way, they will be freshly shaved and you won't have any anxiety over whether or not you can shave your legs after your procedure, at least for a few days. In some cases, your vein doctor may actually instruct you to shave your leg before you have a varicose vein treatment procedure. In other cases, they may instruct you to let them shave the area if needed.

The exception to shaving the night before your varicose vein treatment of course would be if there is any chance that you'll nick a big bulging varicose vein. Again, we're back to common sense. However, if you are in doubt about whether or not to shave your leg before the procedure, always ask your own personal doctor for instruction, rather than accepting advice from an online forum.

Some varicose vein treatment procedures, like sclerotherapy, will heal faster than other varicose vein treatment procedures like ambulatory phlebectomy. In the latter case, small incisions are made along the length of a varicose vein, or a portion of a varicose vein. Then, portions of a varicose vein piece are gingerly removed using a hooked tool piece by piece. In this case, you'll probably need to wait a bit longer to shave your legs than you would if you had the more simple sclerotherapy varicose vein treatment. There may be temporary scabs over each tiny incision that your doctor will want you to leave in place and not disturb via shaving.

Remember this too. You're going to be wearing compression stockings after you have varicose vein treatment. Thus, no one is really going to notice much if you are shaving your legs! In most cases, vein doctors will tell their patients to wear their compression stockings non-stop for the first twenty-four hours, even to bed that first night, and then wear them all day every day and take them off only at night. In fact, you'll be instructed to put them on first thing in the morning before you do anything else that day. If you want to hide hair on your leg, just wear a darker colored compression stockings.

For a free evaluation of your vein condition, call Metro Vein Centers. This is a comprehensive varicose vein treatment center with multiple locations across the United States. You do not need a referral for a free evaluation. Learn what your varicose vein treatment options are and if your insurance will pay for the procedure(s). Metro Vein Centers is very good about documenting the medical need for varicose vein treatment if you fall into this category. However, they also do cosmetic varicose vein treatment. When you meet with your vein doctor, you can ask him or her about shaving after varicose vein treatment.