Choosing where to look for vein care can be difficult, so a good place to start is by evaluating the treatment options provided by the vein center. At Vein Treatment Clinic New York, you can be sure to expect state-of-the-art treatment from excellent doctors. Click HERE to book an appointment at our excellent vein center, or keep reading to learn more about vein treatment options at a vein center in Manhattan. 

What conditions do minimally-invasive procedures address?

Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), which is the root cause of many vein conditions, can be treated with minimally invasive procedures. So what is Chronic Venous Insufficiency?

Like the name implies, it is ongoing, or chronic, insufficient blood flow through the veins. Leg veins have one-way valves that enable blood to flow through the heart while preventing it from returning to the limbs. However, once these valves in the legs begin to leak, blood runs downwards, pooling in veins near the feat, resulting in venous insufficiency. The venous system may no longer do the job of returning blood to the heart, and pressure on the vein walls increases with time due to fluid build-up, leading to the bulging varicose veins you might be seeing.

Varicose veins are enlarged blood vessels that appear dark purple, green, blue, or red. They are most frequently found in the legs and have a knotted and twisted appearance, as opposed to healthy veins, which flow in a relatively straight line.Spider veins are smaller but more visible on the skin, and they are web-like, as the name implies, and are often seen on the lower limbs.

When vein disease progresses, dark red/brown spots or ulcers on the skin may appear as a result of red blood cell breakdown, a condition known as stasis dermatitis. These open wounds, which most often occur on the shin or calf, have inadequate blood flow to heal quickly and efficiently. They are also symptoms of a vein condition, and you should get treatment from a reputable vein clinic in Manhattan by contacting a vein specialist in the area. 

Do treatments HAVE to be minimally-invasive?

The short answer is no, but the best answer is that you should try to opt for minimally-invasive procedures whenever possible! Previously, surgery was the standard vein treatment method, but minimally invasive alternatives are now the preferred vein treatment methods. Minimally invasive operations are less dangerous, easier to do, and more efficient. Minimally invasive vein treatment options, such as sclerotherapy, VenaSeal, varithena, or radiofrequency ablation, are the safest at a vein center in Manhattan. All of these operations are hassle-free and require less than an hour, so there is no need for anesthesia or recovery time.

1. Sclerotherapy

During a sclerotherapy procedure, a vein specialist uses tiny needles to administer a drug called a sclerosant into damaged veins. This drug irritates the vein wall linings, forcing them to stick together and block off the vein, allowing blood to be rerouted to healthy veins. Because of a loss of blood supply, the areas of the vein injected with the sclerosant will shrink over time, diminishing the presence of spider veins. There is little downtime, and the therapy is effective efficiently, with outcomes visible in less than a month.

A new type of sclerosant that has shown great results is Varithena, a sclerotherapy foam that is injected into a damaged saphenous vein by a vein doctor to lessen the appearance and symptoms of big and often painful varicose veins. Similarly to the previous procedure, the operation closes off the affected veins and then reroutes blood supply. It takes less than an hour at a vein center and is painless.

2. VenaSeal

VenaSeal is a vein glue that is used to seal the saphenous vein in the leg, which is a common source of varicose veins. The VenaSeal adhesive seals the diseased vein within seconds, and the blood is eventually rerouted naturally into the healthy veins of your legs, reducing the appearance of bulging varicose veins.

3. Vein Ablation

Vein ablation is a procedure that uses some type of energy to close off varicose veins. There are a few types of ablation used to treat spider and varicose veins, but the minimally-invasive treatment that is recommended by our doctors is radiofrequency ablation.

Radiofrequency ablation starts with a local anesthetic, then the vein doctor will use ultrasound imaging to direct a small catheter to the weakened vein, where it will be triggered to administer thermal energy to the vein walls to shut them down. This treatment, which redirects blood flow to healthier veins to increase circulation, has a success rate of 97 percent and is instantly successful.

On the other hand, endovenous laser ablation, uses a minimally invasive laser pulse under the guidance of ultrasound instruments to treat extreme varicose veins. In this vein therapy, the radiation from a laser is used to close or shrink varicose veins, rerouting blood supply through healthy veins. It may sound quite similar to radiofrequency ablation, but the recovery time is much longer, so doctors who want to keep patient recovery times short will usually avoid it.

Which minimally-invasive treatment should I go for?

Ultimately, the decision for which minimally-invasive treatment you will receive will be made by a  vein specialist after examining the large and small saphenous veins for valve blockages or injury at a vein treatment center. These vein issues can lead to venous reflux or venous insufficiency, which are conditions under which blood flows in the wrong direction and therefore does not reach all parts of the body adequately. The vein doctor will look for signs you may not have mentioned before (such as itchy or burning veins, swelling, aching legs, and so on) so that insurance may offset the costs of a doctor-recommended recovery plan.

After examining and diagnosing you, a vein specialist will create an individualized recovery plan and advise you on the best vein care solutions for your particular case. Vein surgeons will nearly often recommend a minimally invasive procedure to repair “leaky tubing” to close unhealthy veins so blood can flow properly. If you are ready to finally get treatment for your vein disease at a vein center in Manhattan, check out the Vein Treatment Clinic location in Manhattan or Long Island for vein treatment today!