Varicose Vein Treatment

Treatment for Varicose Veins

When you look your best, you feel your best. VIVAA can help you achieve both! Unfortunately, varicose veins in your legs can not only make your legs look bad, but they can also make you feel uncomfortable. Our offices and medical professionals will provide you with a warm, welcoming and thoroughly relaxed environment in which to address the issues involving varicose veins. As a cutting-edge medical provider, we have the knowledge and tools to provide you with the best possible care. You’ll feel completely at ease as we discuss your vascular problems along with your goals and treatment options. Every member of our staff strives to understand your goals, clearly communicate your options and help you find a solution that best meets your needs and your comfort zone, all in a friendly and welcoming environment.

UNDERSTANDING VARICOSE VEINS

Varicose veins are easy to see as they lie just under the surface of your skin, but what are they and why do they occur? Essentially, they are veins that have swelled and moved toward your skin’s surface, making them much easier to see and feel than normal veins. These exposed veins can sometimes result in unwanted pain, burning, discoloration, leg heaviness and tiredness. They’re usually quite easy to identify: large, bulging, throbbing and dark blue.

WHAT MAKES THEM SURFACE AND ARE THEY A MAJOR HEALTH RISK?

Varicose veins often run in families. That’s because many family lines are genetically predisposed to this condition, which is also affected by overall health and wellness. You may be at a higher risk of developing them if you are older, have given birth or are significantly overweight.

Faulty valves in blood vessels are responsible for causing varicose veins. When these valves don’t operate properly, blood has a difficult time returning to the heart. When these one-way valves malfunction due to damage or simple weakness, blood begins to back up and pool and increase pressure. This condition is called reflux and causes the veins to swell, which in turn, produces varicose veins.

Exposed veins are not innately a major health risk but they can develop into more serious problems down the road. Untreated varicose veins can end up becoming dangerous because the blood that pools due to faulty valves can start to clot. This, in turn, can limit blood flow to the heart and overall circulation in the body. Other potential health risks include:

• Ulcers
• Skin changes
• Swollen limbs

More serious complications include venous reflex and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Venous reflux can produce significant circulatory problems while DVT can produce serious clots that can travel to the heart and cause heart attacks or even death.

Sometimes varicose veins are the first sign of chronic venous disease, usually characterized by a brawny skin discoloration, typically on the ankles and calves. Pooling blood leaks into the tissue of the lower leg and ankle, resulting in darkening and hardening of the skin and possibly causing skin ulcers that are difficult to heal.

PREVENTING VARICOSE VEINS

Although varicose veins are primarily an inherited condition, you may be able to delay the onset and progression of this condition. Preventative measures include:

• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Regular exercise to strengthen calf muscles
• Elevating the feet while sitting
• Wearing support hose

Avoiding clothing that constricts your waist, groin or legs, not wearing shoes with high heels or crossing your legs while sitting may also help avoid the onset of varicose veins.

VENOUS REFLUX DISEASE IS PROGRESSIVE — SYMPTOMS CAN WORSEN OVER TIME IF LEFT UNTREATED.

WHAT CAN VIVAA DO ABOUT YOUR VARICOSE VEINS?

VIVAA has two treatments available for your care: a technique known as endovenous ablation, which uses radiofrequency to cauterize and close affected veins. One is called Venefit and the other is VenaSeal by Medtronic.

Venefit

This minimally invasive procedure leaves little to no scarring and is performed under local anesthesia. During the procedure, we insert a specialized catheter guided by an ultrasound transducer into the affected vein through a small incision.

Our doctor will then shrink the vein wall around the catheter. In just a matter of minutes, a large portion of a vein can be effectively treated. Many patients sleep through the treatment and report minimal to no marks on their skin afterward.

Those who have been treated via Venefit have also said they experienced fewer complications, pain and bruising in the treated area in comparison to other treatments. Patients also see faster overall improvement to the problem areas.

If you are looking for a treatment that requires little downtime and gets back to your daily routine quickly and conveniently, Venefit may be an excellent treatment option for you. We also use the VenaSeal system to safely close problem veins with a proprietary medical adhesive. Most insurance plans cover this procedure.

VenaSeal

The VenaSeal™ closure system offers relief for patients suffering from chronic venous insufficiency by using a proprietary medical adhesive to permanently close the diseased vein.

The VenaSeal closure system procedure offers:

• Rapid return to normal activities after treatment
• Minimized pain, tenderness and ecchymosis
• Significant improvements in quality of life

 

WHAT IF YOU OPT NOT TO GET TREATMENT?

When you don’t get your varicose veins treated, you’re apt to develop venous reflux disease. Damaged veins in your legs don’t close properly and become progressively worse over time. The Venefit procedure can significantly mitigate the presence of varicose with veins without requiring major surgery. It’s performed on an outpatient basis with only a bandage and compression needed to aid healing. You’ll be able to return to most activities with a few days.

*Photo courtesy of Dr. Sidhu, This picture shows results of Venefit the procedure treatment only. Cosmetic improvements may occur sooner with adjunctive procedures.

Patient Review
"Dr. Sidhu and the VIVAA staff treated me for a number of large varicose veins. They gave me thorough explanations of the procedure and its impact at my advance consultation and also explained how they would file with my insurance company. I received the utmost care. Dr. Sidhu is an excellent diagnostician as well as a high-quality surgeon. I am very critical about the medical care I receive. I couldn’t be happier with the results I received as well as how the VIVAA staff handled the entire procedure.
Albert Marilee Young

WHAT'S NEXT FOR YOU?

You don’t have to suffer in silence. Our team would be more than happy to discuss your health needs, gather your insurance information, provide a cost quote and give you a clear timeline of how treatment would be carried out according to your preferences. During our consultation, we’ll discuss the severity of your condition and develop a treatment plan. We always keep our patient’s health and safety in mind, so we’re willing to give you whatever you need to know about our treatments to help you make the best decision. Contact us today to find out if the Venefit procedure is right for you.

Q & A about Varicose Veins (by Dr. Sidhu from RealSelf)

What happens when an ultrasound doesn’t show insufficiency but indicates varicose veins? How should this situation be treated?

Q: My saphenous veins in either leg are not affected but I still have a lot of various veins. How should this problem be treated if the large vessels are okay but the tributary veins are not?

A: There are several possibilities that could be responsible for your situation. You may have mild reflux that’s insignificant, or reflux could be absent, yet you have reticular and spider veins. The best way to determine your course of treatment is to have a vascular specialist evaluate your veins. If no reflux is present, you would most likely have sclerotherapy for the bulging veins.

Young woman in her 20s who wants to have children.

Q: I have venous reflux and wonder if I should have treatment on my veins before having children?

A: This is a common question among women of childbearing age. We see women frequently at our practice who wonder if they should have their veins treated before becoming pregnant. The severity of the bulging veins, as well as the degree of reflux, are factors for recommending treatment before pregnancy. Reflux alone is not a prime reason to have treatment.

One solution is to control your veins with compression stockings, however, for many people, it is difficult to regularly follow a daily schedule of wearing them, so compression ultimately fails.

Phlebitis during pregnancy is a potential problem along with the very real possibility of your varicose veins getting worse. I thoroughly discuss these issues with my patients if they don’t want to worry about their veins during pregnancy. This is an especially important issue with first-time mothers. If you can tolerate compression, then we can treat you conservatively unless you begin to experience severe problems. However, without compression or some form of treatment, your varicose veins will become worse.

I have a single varicose vein in one leg. I'm 32 and I don't eat horribly.

Q: I am male, 32, and very fit. I have recently quit using marijuana products. I have high blood pressure from stress. In the last two months, Ihave noticed the great saphenous vein of my left leg is pronounced enough for me to notice it. It appears to be the beginnings of the formation of a varicose vein. I say "beginning," because it's nearly not noticeable until you look at my other leg for comparison. What can I do to completely heal this condition? is it possible that Ihave a blood clot? Help!

A: Varicose veins are very common in young healthy people who are very active. The best way is to get a consultation with a vascular specialist and discuss all your concerns and if needed will do an ultrasound to look at the valve function and then plan treatment accordingly. At least compression is advised to prevent this from getting worse.

Large blue veins visible throughout legs and hips?

Q: During the last six months, I have had large, noticeable blue veins spread rapidly over my thighs and hips. A doctor I consulted said the ultrasound performed on me indicated that they are not varicose and that the reason for seeing these veins is that I am pale. However, I know many people who have skin lighter than mine and they don’t have them. I don’t think it’s genetic as my parents don’t have these veins, either. Is this normal? I feel awful and wonder if there is a treatment to lessen their appearance. I’m only 21.

A: Looking at the photos, they are not reticular, but the only way to know for sure is via examination. If another ultrasound doesn’t show any reflux, your insurance company will consider this a cosmetic problem. If they bother you, we can easily fix the problem with no downtime.