Does Infrared Sauna Help With Varicose Veins? (+ How to Treat Guide)

Varicose veins occur because of increased pressure on the vein due to running, standing, or sitting in a certain posture for a long time. There are several ways to treat varicose veins.

Infrared saunas help increase blood circulation which should reduce the risk of varicose veins but there’s no scientific proof so there’s no guarantee. to increase blood flow, and decrease pressure in your veins. If nothing works, you need surgical treatments like laser or radiofrequency treatments.

Continue reading to learn more about how the sauna can help with varicose veins in theory and the steps you need to take to treat varicose veins.

Table of Contents

Does Infrared Sauna Help With Varicose Veins?

Since infrared saunas improve blood flow, they can help with varicose veins. Infrared saunas work by raising overall body temperature. Unlike other saunas, infrared saunas use red light therapy to penetrate the skin directly and increase blood flow, which promotes a positive skin appearance.

The infrared lights relax the vascular system, which increases blood circulation. Furthermore, infrared lights detoxify tissues and cells to alter skin appearance. If you suffer from varicose veins, using infrared saunas regularly can reduce and prevent the appearance of varicose veins.

What About Traditional & Steam Saunas? 

Steam saunas and traditional saunas can reduce swelling and increase blood circulation, similar to infrared saunas. Traditional, dry saunas and steam saunas function differently than infrared saunas. These saunas do not have the same effects. 

Therefore, they are less likely to have the positive effects of infrared red saunas since they use intense heat.

man sitting in a steam room
You can treat varicose veins using a traditional sauna or steam room (Image source)

Traditional Saunas

Traditional saunas use intense heat to reduce swelling and increase blood flow. While this is typically great for treating varicose veins, it can be problematic for eliminating the appearance of varicose veins since heat causes veins to swell. 

Compared to infrared saunas, traditional saunas heat the body directly. Direct heat is intense on the body and causes your veins to bulge.

Steam Saunas

Steam saunas are heated rooms that use steam to heat your body. They can provide you with positive benefits like reduced swelling and increased blood circulation. While steam saunas still provide the same benefits as infrared saunas, they have increased heat, so they have fewer benefits than infrared saunas. 

Unfortunately, the direct heat is too intense to reduce the appearance of varicose veins. In fact, the increased heat can intensify the appearance of varicose veins and is more likely to cause vein problems.

Is Heat Therapy Good for Varicose Veins?

Heat therapy can worsen the appearance of varicose veins. Veins are extremely sensitive to high temperatures. Therefore, they will swell more as the body tries cooling off. 

While it does not cause varicose veins, it can worsen your vein problems. So, instead of using traditional or steam saunas, you should use infrared saunas since these use red light therapy. Red light therapy penetrates the skin to raise your internal body temperature. 

In addition to enlarging your veins, heat may cause pain, soreness, and fatigue in the lower legs. If you experience pain from heat, you can use a cold compress to treat swelling and pain in your varicose veins. 

How to Get Rid of Varicose Veins? (A Guide)

Varicose veins are known for making people feel self-conscious. Many people believe the swelled veins are unsightly because they are noticeable. Luckily, there are a variety of nonsurgical methods to get rid of varicose veins. 

Most methods for getting rid of varicose veins revolve around improving circulation by increasing blood flow. The best method for removing varicose veins is using far infrared saunas. Red light therapy is effective for eliminating varicose veins because it improves your blood circulation without using heat. Generally, it is a long-term way to eliminate varicose veins. You should only use infrared saunas once to twice daily. 

Conversely, people may also use more invasive methods like surgical treatments. Surgical treatments are much quicker at eliminating varicose veins. If you are interested in treating varicose veins immediately, consult a medical professional and get your veins treated with invasive treatment.

veiny hands
Remove varicose veins by increasing blood circulation, reducing swelling & surgical treatments (Image source)

Increase blood circulation

The best way to get rid of varicose veins is to increase blood circulation. Increased blood circulation will improve your skin’s appearance, including reducing the presence of varicose veins. One of the best ways to increase your blood circulation is using infrared saunas. 

Infrared saunas increase the movement of your blood so you can improve the appearance of your skin. In addition to using infrared therapy, you can try compression therapy to eliminate varicose veins. Compression therapy will increase blood circulation since it will return blood to your heart and prevent swelling.

Exercise is another great way to increase blood circulation. Take a daily walk to get your blood flowing in your legs upward. Furthermore, exercise can increase blood flow.

Decrease swelling

A beneficial way to get rid of varicose veins is to decrease swelling. Using a sauna can decrease swelling since they stimulate circulation. Increased circulation leads to oxygen-rich blood flow, which can improve your skin’s appearance and eliminate the appearance of varicose veins.

In the sauna, it only takes roughly 20 minutes, three times per week to reduce swelling. As long as you establish a routine, you will begin to see results within a few weeks to months.

In addition to using far infrared saunas, it is a great idea to use compression bands to eliminate swelling. Compression swelling is one of the best ways to decrease swelling since it gets the blood flowing and prevents the pooling of blood. To alleviate swelling, you will wrap your legs (or the affected location) with a compression band. Leave it on the area for several minutes to alleviate the swelling.

Surgical treatment

There are plenty of surgical treatments that can help with varicose veins, including invasive treatments that do not leave scars or other marks. Some of the best treatments include laser therapy, sclerotherapy, vein ablation, and surgical excision. 

Vein ablation is a common surgical treatment that can eliminate varicose veins. However, since it uses heat, it is not the most reliable method for removing unsightly varicose veins. Instead, you should try other methods like sclerotherapy.

Conclusion

Varicose veins are enlarged veins that can be unsightly in their appearance. The best way to treat these veins is by increasing blood flow and reducing swelling. Infrared saunas are wonderful for treating varicose veins. Red light therapy improves blood flow and, in turn, refreshes the appearance of the skin.

If you are interested in using saunas to treat your varicose veins, it is important that you use red light therapy. Red light therapy will treat the appearance of the skin directly. Avoid steam and traditional saunas since these use heat to increase blood circulation and reduce swelling.

(Featured image by Elīna Arāja from Pexels)

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