What kinds of vein treatment are available in Chicago?
One in two Americans suffers from either varicose veins, or spider veins. What kind of treatment should you seek for them? Read on to find out about the right kind of treatment for each vein condition.
Vein Treatment Chicago: Minimally Invasive treatment options for varicose veins
Varicose veins need to be treated at a vein clinic using minimally invasive procedures. These procedures treat the defective veins by sealing them from within. The vein is accessed using imaging guidance, and sealed off using one of the following methods.
Radiofrequency ablation
Your skin is numbed with anesthetic, a small nick is made over the vein. A radiofrequency catheter is then inserted into the vein. This delivers heat, which causes the vein walls to scar, and seal off from blood flow.
Venaseal
This state of the art method is the least invasive option. Using imaging guidance, a syringe delivers medicated glue in drops throughout the length of the vein, which seals it off from blood circulation.
Clarivein
Like VenaSeal, this method also avoids anesthetic injections and incisions. Under ultrasound imaging guidance, a tiny rotating catheter containing a medicated solution (called sclerosant) is inserted into the vein. The sclerosant is distributed throughout the vein, and it acts on the vein walls, causing it to scar and seal off.
Endovenous laser vein ablation
This is identical to radiofrequency ablation, but uses a laser fiber instead of a catheter. This may be slightly more uncomfortable than radiofrequency, because of the high intensity of laser energy.
Of these, radiofrequency ablation and VenaSeal are preferred by most vein doctors as they combine great results with maximum procedural comfort.
Vein Treatment Chicago: Treatment options available for spider veins
Treating spider veins is simpler, because of their small size. There are two methods of treating spider veins:
Sclerotherapy:
This is the best possible treatment for spider veins. It involves the injection of liquid sclerosant, directly into your spider veins. The sclerosant irritates the walls of the spider veins, causing them to eventually fuse to each other. This stops blood from filling back in the veins, and the non-functional spider veins eventually get absorbed by the body.
Since sclerotherapy is performed using really tiny needles, the procedure is totally painless – although you may feel a slight twinge of discomfort when the sclerosant actually enters your veins. A single injection of sclerotherapy results in almost 80% improvement in the appearance of spider veins.
Laser light therapy:
This is definitely not as effective as sclerotherapy. To get the same results as sclerotherapy, you will need at least three or four sessions of laser light therapy. However, some vein doctors prefer laser light treatment if you have spider veins on your face, around your nose or underneath your eyes. In these areas, the veins communicate freely with the brain and eye, and it might be risky to use sclerosant here. Laser light is shone onto the skin surface over the veins, and the heat generated acts directly on the spider veins, causing them to shrink.
Why should you get your vein diseases treated using minimally invasive options?
Technically, there is another form of treatment available for both varicose veins and spider veins – invasive surgery. This involves making long cuts in your legs, and physically removing the defective vein. Frankly, this is just as traumatic as it sounds – you may require a hospital admission, and recovery times can be long. Most vein doctors simply do not do this anymore – unless they don’t have the resources or skill to perform minimally invasive treatment. Minimally invasive treatment involves at the most, a tiny nick that is barely a couple of millimeters. It is quick, comfortable, and does not require any recovery time after the procedure.
Obviously, based on the above facts, you would prefer minimally invasive treatment options to invasive vein surgery. But do you need vein treatment at all? Yes, you definitely do! There are two main reasons why leaving your varicose and spider veins untreated is definitely not a good idea:
You develop horrible symptoms over time, which deteriorate your quality of life
Even of you do not have painful symptoms at first, vein diseases cause accumulation of impure blood in your legs over time. So, you will develop throbbing leg pain, and cramps, which can be painful enough to keep you awake at night. You will also develop swelling and heaviness in your feet and ankles if you are on the go for long periods. The pain and swelling can tire you out easily, and eventually restrict your active lifestyle.
Vein diseases can lead to potentially dangerous complications.
Varicose veins are fragile and can rupture at the slightest trauma. This can lead to troublesome bleeding, and you will have to visit an emergency room to control it. The impure blood blocks proper nutritional supply to the skin, and if you happen to scrape or graze your legs, the wound will not heal. Instead you can develop nasty leg ulcers. Most importantly, impure blood can form clots in your legs. If this clot travels to the deeper veins, it can pass on to the heart and lungs, and can block blood circulation there. This is disastrous and can have fatal consequences.
The Vein Treatment Clinic in Chicago provides all forms of minimally invasive treatment for spider veins. The skill of our doctors, combined with our friendly staff, ensure that you have a comfortable treatment process with great results. To consult with our doctors and staff, you can book an appointment online, or call 855-699-2004.
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.
