What Can I Expect from Spider Vein Treatment in TX?
Step 1: Initial Consultation
The first step of your spider vein treatment in TX is a consultation with reliable vein doctors specializing in minimally invasive vein treatments. Vein Treatment Clinic is widely hailed as one of the most reliable vein treatment clinics for spider vein diagnosis and treatment in Houston, Texas. You can find our vein treatment clinic at 2024 Richmond Ave, Houston, a short drive from The Galleria shopping mall. We have plenty of parking spaces — please schedule an appointment online.
Your consultation will start with a thorough discussion with our talented vein doctor, Dr. Calvin Jung. He’ll examine your leg veins, looking for signs and symptoms of vein disease, and discuss your symptoms. You should frankly highlight all your symptoms, including those that seem unrelated. Spider veins carry a visual component, the dense clusters of blood vessels on the skin’s surface, and they’re often accompanied by leg heaviness, leg swelling, restless leg syndrome, frequent leg cramps, throbbing leg veins, and other symptoms.
Your vein doctor will also review your medical history and discuss your history of medications. You should let them know if you have a family history of vein disease or spider veins, as well. All of these details come together to provide a larger picture of your condition, which is crucial for effective spider vein treatments. After the consultation and visual examination, Dr. Calvin Jung will proceed with the diagnosis.
Step 2: Diagnosis
Most people assume spider veins are cosmetic concerns with no medical consequences. However, spider veins are often symptomatic of an underlying medical condition called chronic venous insufficiency. When your vein valves collapse, blood flows backward and accumulates in your leg veins, leading to increased pressure in the veins, which, in turn, leads to spider veins, varicose veins, and other conditions. If left untreated, it can also lead to leg ulcers and deep vein thrombosis.
Factors like medical history, family history, and leg pain symptoms indicate the possibility of underlying vein disease. If so, the vein doctor will use advanced vascular imaging tests to confirm the diagnosis. Duplex ultrasound is an advanced imaging test wherein ultrasound technology can visualize the blood flow in your leg veins. Backward blood flow indicates underlying vein disease, allowing the vein physician to curate the ideal vein treatment plan.
Step 3: Treatment Planning
If your spider veins are indeed symptomatic of underlying vein disease, the vein doctor must address the underlying disease before they treat spider veins. If you don’t have underlying vein disease, they can proceed with a cosmetic treatment for the visible spider veins. Your vein doctor will discuss all your vein treatment options in both cases, highlighting their pros, cons, and cost. They’ll also discuss your insurance coverage options and curate the ideal vein treatment plan for you.
Step 4: Spider Vein Treatment
If you have underlying chronic venous insufficiency…
If you have underlying chronic venous insufficiency, the vein doctor may start your spider vein treatment with one of the following minimally invasive vein treatments: radiofrequency ablation, laser ablation, mechanochemical ablation (ClariVein), or vein glue (VenaSeal).
Endovenous radiofrequency ablation and laser ablation are similar. The vein doctor makes a small incision on the skin’s surface to insert a catheter into the diseased vein under ultrasound guidance. The vein doctor injects tumescent anesthesia into the diseased vein’s walls to protect the surrounding tissues. And then, they activate the catheter, delivering thermal or laser energy to collapse the diseased vein. The accumulated blood reroutes into healthier veins on the legs.
ClariVein, also known as mechanochemical ablation, is a procedure wherein a specialized catheter with a rotating tip is inserted into the diseased vein via an incision. When activated, the rotating tip scratches the vein’s walls while delivering a sclerosant solution that irritates the diseased vein. VenaSeal is a simple procedure wherein a vein glue is injected into the diseased vein to fuse its walls, turning it into a hardened scar tissue absorbed by the body.
If you don’t have underlying vein disease…
If you don’t have underlying chronic venous insufficiency, or after your primary vein treatment, the vein doctor will use cosmetic treatments to close the visible spider veins. The most popular methods to treat spider veins include sclerotherapy and laser treatment.
Sclerotherapy is the best treatment for spider veins. The vein doctor injects a sclerosant solution into the spider veins to fuse their walls, turning them into hard tissues that eventually get metabolized by the body and fade away. We use the most effective and least painful sclerosant solutions. Laser treatment is a non-invasive procedure wherein a laser device delivers laser energy into the spider veins — it’s not nearly as effective as sclerotherapy.
Step 5: Recovery & Aftercare
All minimally invasive vein treatments are performed as in-office and outpatient procedures with no major side effects or complications. You’ll experience a little redness, swelling, irritation, or bruising around the treatment sites for a few days, but the side effects will dissipate quickly. Your vein doctor will discuss your post-treatment recovery guidelines, following which you can resume your daily activities.
You should wear compression stockings regularly after the spider vein treatment to facilitate smooth blood circulation to the heart. Our vein doctors will customize compression stockings according to your exact measurements to ensure maximum results. You may also have to avoid strenuous workouts, especially those that involve heavy lifting, for a few days. But you can resume most of your normal activities and low-level exercises immediately.
To learn more about the different options for spider and varicose vein treatment, please visit https://www.veintreatmentclinic.com/vein-treatment/. Our accredited vein centers offer all of the latest technology, and our accomplished and compassionate vein experts will create a custom treatment plan tailored to your individual needs. We have locations in New York, Long Island, New Jersey, California, and Texas.
Book a Consultation
Scheduling a consultation with one of our vein treatment experts is one of the best ways to determine the proper resolution for your varicose veins. The treatments can include sclerotherapy, laser or radiofrequency ablation, a medication called Varithena, or procedures such as Venaseal, or Clarivein.