What you need to know about varicose and spider veins
Most people with vein problems do not have visible signs of disease. Instead, they suffer from tiredness, heaviness, swelling, aching, pains, burning, itching, cramps, restless leg syndrome, and nonhealing ulcers. While some people may develop varicose veins, some may also suffer from spider veins or have swollen legs as a single sign of vein disease. Regardless of the type of venous disorder, the condition can lead to serious complications, including trophic ulcers, bleeding, infection, and blood clot formation. These problems and many others can be caused by abnormal circulation in veins of lower extremities, a vein disease known as venous insufficiency.
Veins are blood vessels that transport blood from your extremities to your heart. In healthy leg veins, one-way valves allow blood to move only in one direction: upstream toward the heart. When a valve fails to function, the blood can begin to pool in your legs and cause a variety of health problems, including swollen ankles, blood clots, leg pain, spider veins, varicose veins, and even ulcers. Varicose veins often appear as enlarged veins that twist and bulge in a rope-like pattern. They can be blue, red or flesh-colored. They are often found on the back of the calves, inner and front thighs, or anywhere in the leg above and below the knee. In addition, they can be found deeper under the surface of your skin. Varicose veins contain valves that are damaged, so they hold more blood at a higher pressure than normal. This extra pressure forces fluid into the surrounding tissue, which causes your leg to swell and feel tired and achy. Approximately 70 percent of all patients with varicose veins have parents with a similar condition.
Reticular and spider veins are smaller superficial veins (usually less than one millimeter in diameter) that are much smaller than varicose veins, but still visible. They are the mildest form of venous insufficiency and rarely cause physical symptoms. These thread-like veins often resemble red, blue, or purple spider webs closer to the skin’s surface. They can cover a small or large area of the legs. Although spider veins normally don’t cause discomfort, the deeper veins that are associated with them do.
Virtually no one needs surgery anymore for venous insufficiency. When treatments are performed properly (i.e., find the root of the problem with an ultrasound and eliminate it at the source), you should get long-lasting results—your varicose veins and symptoms of venous insufficiency should disappear permanently.
USA Vein Clinics is a network of state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to the treatment of venous insufficiency. USA Vein Clinics achieves its high success rate in varicose vein treatments by not taking shortcuts. Patients in our clinics are seen by highly skilled and caring physicians, who develop a vein treatment plan for each individual. Our physicians use lasers in a treatment called endovenous laser therapy (EVLT),a varicose vein innovation that began rapidly rising in popularity around the world in 2002.
The EVLT treatment is performed as a non-surgical, outpatient procedure that takes around 15 minutes. During this procedure, a laser fiber is inserted into the diseased vein, and laser heat seals the vein shut, allowing the healthier veins around it to take over circulation. There is no hospital stay, and it is minimally invasive, so, following the procedure, you may return to your daily activities as normal.
We also offer a treatment called sclerotherapy, which is designed to treat spider veins, reticular veins, and small varicose veins. Using ultrasound technology, the physician locates the problematic vein. Then, with a tiny needle, the doctor injects the vein with a salt solution that irritates the walls of the vein so that it swells and seals shut. Over time, the vein will become scar tissue and be reabsorbed into the body, and the healthy veins around it will take control of the blood flow.
Since venous insufficiency is a serious medical condition, it is important to know that diagnosis and treatment of venous disease are covered by Medicare, most insurance plans, and Medicaid. For more information, contact USA Vein Clinics to schedule an appointment with one of our vascular specialists by calling or visiting