What is the most effective way to get rid of varicose veins?

For varicose veins, we typically recommend a safe, minimally invasive procedure called Sclerotherapy. A salt solution is injected directly into each vein, causing them to collapse and ultimately disappear. For long-term improvement, we often complement Sclerotherapy with IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) photofacial and the Excel V laser, which treats both superficial and deep vascular conditions on all skin types. I suggest seeing an expert for a formal evaluation to determine if this is the best solution for you. Best, Dr. Emer

Varicose vein treatments must begin with a careful vein mapping and sometimes an ultrasound to determine the source of the problem. I perform EVLT, VNUS, sclerotherapy, injections, and microphlebectomy for varicose veins and tailor to each patient in my LA office. 

Varicose veins are almost never formed in isolation; there is most often, a deeper, larger, vein that is "incompetent" that connects to the superficial, visible varicose vein.  This incompetent vein is usually the greater or lesser saphenous vein with valves that are not functioning normally.   These root cause veins typically give rise to the varicose veins seen on the surface, and thus, to treat the varicose most effectively, the incompetent saphenous vein needs to be diagnosed first with a duplex ultrasound.  Once identified, the vein can be treated with laser or radiofrequency (EVLT or VNUS), and the microphlebectomies performed at the same time to remove the varicose veins.  This can most often be performed under local anesthesia under 1 hr.   To simply treat the varicose veins with sclero/laser without treating the root cause will lead to multiple recurrences and failed treatments.   Make sure your physician is using the most cutting edge technologies to effectively treat your veins; the state of the art has moved beyond "vein stripping" and "sclerotherapy."