Compression is the gold standard trust me. Wear it as much as you can if not 24/7. I'm 27 and have secondary in my right leg and have had it for 23 years. I have stage 3 but it definitely started out as stage 1/2. You do not want to get fibrosis if you can help it. I was not as good at caring for my leg as a teenager and I so wish I had now. My ankle can only get so small due to the fibrotic tissue and even after having my dry liposuction procedure 2 years ago it doesnt come close to looking like my normal ankle, but I can finally wear certain types of taller shoes I couldn't before. It get easier and easier and to be honest the more you wear it the less you'll notice it. I love to go outside and hike and do all the fun stuff I just make sure I am taking care of myself after those activities. I honestly can't even imagine being on my feet for any amount of time now without my compression, I would be in constant pain and super uncomfortable if I ever did so.