The Veins Center in New Jersey Provides Comprehensive Vein Care

Please continue reading for a step-by-step overview of the vein treatment process.

Step 1: Initial Consultation

Before we walk you through the vein treatment process, it provides some background on vein problems. Spider veins and varicose veins are the most common vein problems — while they’re commonly assumed to be cosmetic problems, they’re actually indicative of a circulatory disorder. Chronic venous insufficiency is a medical condition wherein your vein valves collapse, and blood flows backward, accumulating in the leg veins, thereby leading to spider veins and varicose veins. As such, if you have spider veins and varicose veins, your vein doctor must always diagnose underlying venous insufficiency before curating a treatment plan.

When you appear for your appointment at our vein treatment center in New Jersey, our first goals are understanding your concerns and determining if you have chronic venous insufficiency. The vein doctor will examine your leg veins for signs and symptoms of vein disease, such as spider veins and varicose veins. They’ll also review your medical history and ask about your symptoms — leg heaviness, frequent leg cramps, restless leg syndrome, leg swelling, and leg pain are common symptoms of vein disease. Furthermore, your medical history will also reveal the likelihood of venous insufficiency.

Step 2: Ultrasound Diagnosis

After the initial consultation, the vein doctor will perform an ultrasound diagnostic test, known as duplex ultrasound. During this test, the vein doctor will move an ultrasound device over your legs to visualize the blood flow in your leg veins on a computer screen. The direction of blood flow reveals if you have chronic venous insufficiency, thereby allowing the vein doctor to curate a personalized vein treatment plan. If you visit a vein clinic that doesn’t perform an ultrasound diagnostic scan, you should be skeptical of their proposed treatment plan.

Step 3: Primary Treatment

If you have chronic venous insufficiency, your vein treatment will start with radiofrequency ablation, endovenous laser ablation, or venaseal. At this stage, the vein doctor’s primary goal is destroying or sealing the diseased saphenous vein, thereby restoring effective blood circulation to your heart. Treating vein disease is essential for long-lasting relief from vein problems. However, your vein doctor will select the ideal treatment plan based on your unique goals, medical history, and insurance coverage options.

Radiofrequency Ablation

Radiofrequency ablation involves using thermal energy to treat chronic venous insufficiency. The vein doctor makes a small incision on the skin’s surface to insert a catheter inside the diseased saphenous vein under ultrasound guidance. The catheter, when activated, generates thermal energy to collapse the diseased vein, rerouting the accumulated blood into healthier leg veins.

Endovenous Laser Ablation

Endovenous laser ablation involves using laser energy to treat chronic venous insufficiency. The vein doctor makes a small incision on the skin’s surface to insert a catheter with a laser fiber inside the diseased vein under ultrasound guidance. The laser fiber generates laser energy to destroy the problematic vein and reroute the accumulated blood into healthier leg veins, thereby restoring effective blood circulation to the heart.

VenaSeal

VenaSeal is a minimally invasive procedure wherein medical-grade adhesives are used to treat chronic venous insufficiency. The vein specialist injects a medical glue inside the diseased vein under ultrasound guidance. The vein glue seals the diseased vein’s walls, turning it into a hardened tissue eventually absorbed by the body.

Step 4: Cosmetic Treatment

The primary vein treatment may address the root cause of spider veins and varicose veins, but it won’t necessarily remove all the visible veins from your skin’s surface. As such, after the primary vein treatment, the vein doctor will perform a cosmetic treatment to improve your legs’ appearance.

Ambulatory Phlebectomy

Ambulatory phlebectomy involves the physical extraction of superficial varicose veins through small incisions on the skin’s surface. The incision marks eventually heal into scars that fade away from the skin.

Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy involves injecting a sclerosant solution into spider veins to make them harden into scar tissues. The spider veins are eventually absorbed by the body, making them fade away from the skin’s surface.

Step 5: Recovery & Aftercare

After your vein treatment, the vein doctor will discuss your post-treatment recovery and aftercare guidelines. You’ll have to wear compression stockings for a few weeks and avoid heavy lifting. However, you can resume most of your normal daily activities and work immediately, without any downtime. The entire procedure concludes within an hour, following which you can return to work.