How Total Vein Care Can Improve Your Quality Of Life

Varicose veins and other forms of venous disease are not only unsightly, but they can lead to more serious conditions down the line. The good news is that there are minimally invasive and virtually painless procedures to treat these veins, which will drastically improve your quality of life.

During Center For Advanced Vein Care evaluation appointment, one of our vein specialists will complete a full exam using ultrasound and then develop a personalized treatment plan to address your specific needs. Almost all of our vein treatments are considered minimally invasive and are performed in the office without the need for surgery or prolonged recovery time.

Veins move blood from the legs upward toward the heart. When a vein becomes enlarged and twisted (as in varicose veins), it is said to have become "varicosed." Varicosed veins look dark blue or purple and bulge out from underneath the skin. These veins are not only unsightly but can cause a heavy, itchy feeling in the legs and sometimes can lead to ulcerations. Untreated, they can also cause blood clots to form in the deep veins of the leg (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT) and lead to serious complications such as pulmonary embolism.

There are several causes of varicose veins. They often run in families, and they may be caused by hormonal changes from pregnancy or birth control pills, or by a condition called chronic venous insufficiency (CVD). Over time, the walls of the veins stretch outward, and the valves that prevent blood from flowing backward become damaged or deformed. Normally, the blood in the veins is pushed upward by muscular contractions of the leg muscles. This keeps the blood from pooling and enlarging the veins.

A number of things can be done to help prevent varicose veins, including losing weight, wearing compression stockings and regular exercise, such as brisk walking, to improve circulation in the legs. Taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen, can relieve the occasional discomfort associated with varicose veins.

There are a number of ways to treat varicose veins, including laser treatment, sclerotherapy and catheter-based ablation procedures. During the procedure, which is performed with local anesthesia, a health care provider inserts a thin tube (catheter) into an enlarged varicose vein and heats the tip of the catheter with radio wave or laser energy. This destroys the vein and allows the body to reassign blood flow to other healthy veins. For larger varicose veins, a procedure called sclerotherapy or ambulatory phlebectomy can be performed. In this procedure, the vein specialist removes the affected vein through small slits in the skin and stitches are not needed. Afterward, the closed veins are replaced by scar tissue and gradually fade away. In some cases, a more aggressive approach to treating large varicose veins is needed and involves ligation and stripping of the problematic varicose veins. These procedures are generally reserved for severe cases when more conservative measures do not improve symptoms.