Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Section of Vascular Medicine, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH, 44195, USA. barthoj@ccf.org
Varicose veins are not only a cosmetic annoyance: they can lead to complications that result in lost time from work and lost wages. Treatment has improved with the use of minimally invasive techniques that reduce recovery time and complications and offer better long-term results--encouraging news, considering that the problem affects 10% to 20% of adult men and 25% to 33% of adult women.