A two-year follow-up of 97 people treated with endovenous laser treatment (ELVT) found varicose veins recurred in 6 percent of the people. That compares to a recurrence rate of 10 percent or more in people who have surgery or other treatments such as injection of chemical solution or radiofrequency energy. The findings were presented this week at the 15th Annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy in Miami Beach, Fla.

In this study, 414 limbs on 364 people were treated in a 37-month period. The people were evaluated with ultrasound at one week, one month, six months, one year and then annually to assess the success of the laser treatment.

Varicose veins along the back or inside of the leg affect about half the women 50 or older in the United States and about 10 percent to 15 percent of men.

Not only are they unsightly, varicose veins can cause discomfort, leg muscle fatigue, swelling, throbbing, cramping at night, and itching or burning of the skin on the leg and around the ankle.

Severe varicose veins can cause chronic venous insufficiency. That's a condition where blood doesn't completely return to the heart from the veins. That may cause swelling of the legs or skin alteration.

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Here's where you can learn more about varicose veins.