@JasmineTea let me know what you think when you have tried it.
I had previously tried an OTC arnica gel after my third vein procedure (which is the last one; the condition never improves but always worsens despite using latest techniques). The gel was recommended by the nurses, and it sped up healing to a certain point for sure. Arnica is clinically proven effective for bruising, and many of my varicose veins are not the ropy kind; they are the result of very light bumps that create awful bruises, which turn into permanent marks bc the veins are so weak, they just never heal. That’s what made me decide to include arnica in the infusion, even though it isn’t part of her recipe.
The horse chestnut seems to be the star of the recipe, from what I’ve read. So, while I’m waiting for the infusion to be done, I am currently using up some alcohol-based horse chestnut extract that I mix into my lotion before applying. After just one week of applying it 1-2x per day, the most angry spots (where blood pools at my ankles) are definitely lighter.
I also have a big tangled mess of large dark blue veins and angry red broken capillaries on the outside of my left calf. It’s about six inches long and three inches across at its widest. Because it is so large, it doesn’t even look like veins from a glance. I’ve even had folks ask me, “What happened to your leg?” Or, “How did you get that burn?”
For the most part, I’m over being self-conscious about it, which is one plus that comes with aging.
But I am still thrilled to report that this spot is definitely much lighter after one week of faithfully applying the lotion, too. I am not expecting to miraculously eliminate all of these spots, but significant fading is a huge victory for me, one that conventional treatment was not able to accomplish.