When you have varicose or spider veins, you may be familiar with some of their consequences. They can be unsightly or cause aching, itching, or burning feelings. Vascular surgeons can help get rid of these veins. You are best off searching for a top vein specialist and vein clinic for the best possible diagnosis, care, and overall experience.
A Thorough Evaluation
It is one thing to notice your own varicose and spider veins. It is quite another to have them officially diagnosed by a vein specialist and to understand your options for treatment. A vein doctor can start by asking you about your family history and your personal medical history. They may also ask about symptoms such as aching legs, a burning feeling, or inflammation around your veins.
Next, you should have an exam as vein doctors take a look at your varicose or spider veins. Varicose veins are larger, more bulging, and more likely to be on your lower limbs. Spider veins are thinner and twisting. They can be on your arms, chest, face, shoulders, legs, and back.
Vein doctors can use high-tech diagnostic tools to help understand your individual situation. These are some examples.
- Venous Doppler ultrasound to track how blood moves through your veins and identify blood clots and narrow vessels.
- CT angiogram to look at blood vessels and create a 3-D image.
- Magnetic resonance angiography, which looks at blood vessels without using any radiation.
Your doctor can gather information and interpret it to provide you with a diagnosis and a suggested treatment plan.
Modern and Effective Treatments
Vascular surgeons go far beyond home remedies such as icing and putting your feet up. The field of vascular care has also progressed significantly further than the time when your only option was painful vein stripping. Now, a top vein specialist has an array of possible solutions to varicose and spider veins. These are some examples.
- Ambulatory phlebectomy or microphlebectomy: removing large surface varicose veins through a small incision in your skin under local anesthesia.
- Sclerotherapy: using a chemical that is injected into the spider vein to kill it. A vein specialist may also use ultrasound to guide placement of the injection.
- Endovenous radiofrequency ablation: using radiofrequency waves delivered through a catheter to cause the vein walls to collapse.
These procedures often take only minutes to an hour per session, and they can lead to visible results in a single office visit or within a couple of weeks. You can typically get back to your regular activities fairly soon.
A Fully Supportive Experience
Your vein specialist may provide the majority of your vein treatment procedures, but your overall experience is also shaped by the vein clinic you attend. When the staff are caring and competent, you are more likely to feel comfortable and have a better outcome. Other factors to consider are whether the facility is clean and modern, and whether the vein clinic accepts your insurance or offers discounts if you are paying for the treatment yourself.