How are varicose veins removed?

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If you have varicose veins, you know how uncomfortable and embarrassing they can be. You might even be considering having your varicose veins removed, but are not quite sure how doctors remove varicose veins.

Varicose veins most commonly develop in the lower legs, but they can also appear in your upper extremities and other areas of your body.

Varicose veins are a more than just a cosmetic issue – they can also cause health problems, such as painful sores around your lower legs and ankles, known as venous ulcers. These sores can persist for weeks, months or even years, and can lead to other serious health issues. Clearly, it is important to treat varicose veins before they become a problem.

But how are varicose veins removed? Your Nashville vein doctors want you to know!

How dr. Siragusa remove varicose veins

Vein doctors use a variety of approaches to remove varicose veins. The two main approaches include removing varicose veins through small openings in the skin and damaging the diseased veins to the point where the blood vessels collapse.

Removing the vein, also known as vein stripping or phlebectomy, are minimally invasive procedures that vein specialists perform in outpatient settings. Phlebectomy has been around for centuries – Hippocrates first came up with the concept about 2400 years ago. Varicose vein removal was quite different in its earliest days, when surgeons had only rudimentary tools to remove the diseased veins. Today, advances in medical and surgical technology have made vein treatment easier, faster, more comfortable and more effective.

Phlebectomy to remove varicose veins has changed dramatically. Surgeons can now remove veins in an advanced, minimally-invasive procedure known as microphlebectomy, in which they insert a very fine instrument through tiny openings in the skin to grasp and remove the diseased vein. Because the incisions are so small, sutures are not needed. You will wear and ace wrap and compression stockings for several days after the procedure to prevent the formation of blood clots, and can return to your normal activities within 24 hours. Many patients see results right away, even as bruising from the procedure fades.

Removing varicose veins with sclerotherapy, endovenous laser therapy, and radiofrequency waves

Vein doctors may also use advanced therapies to remove varicose veins without making incisions. These treatments involve irritating the affected vein in such a way that it closes and eventually breaks apart. The body absorbs the leftover material so that the varicose vein disappears.

In sclerotherapy, for example, the vein specialist injects a foaming agent into the diseased vein. The foaming agent irritates the inner lining of the diseased vein, and the irritated vein closes. In time, the treated vein breaks apart and is absorbed by surrounding tissue, causing the varicose vein to disappear. The body reroutes blood flow through nearby veins.

Endovenous laser therapy (EVLT) works in the same way, except vein doctors use the power of laser light to irritate and close the vein. This procedure starts by inserting a thin, flexible catheter tubing into the affected vein and then projecting laser light through the catheter. The energy from the laser irritates the vein, which collapses, disintegrates, and disappears.

Vein doctors can also use radiofrequency waves to irritate and break apart varicose veins. The procedure is similar to EVLT, except that it uses the heat from radiofrequency (RF) waves.

Siragusa’s vein clinic in nashville

If varicose veins, spider veins or other vascular issues are causing you health problems,schedule a consult with us right away. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the middle of winter or July here in Nashville, TN. We’ll plan out a course of vein treatment to help you deal with varicose veins, spider veins, or DVT.

Getting Your Insurance To Cover Your Vein Treatment

Many of our patients are very surprised to learn that Insurance often covers the treatment of symptomatic spider veins. The insurance specialists at Siragusa Vein and Laser have compiled a list of ways to get your insurance provider to cover your treatment.

Take The First Step

If you are ready to stop hiding your legs and dealing with the embarrassment of spider veins, let Dr. Siragusa and his team get you back to loving your legs and living your life.