More than 50 percent of people suffer from some sort of vein issue, be it unsightly spider veins or painful, sometimes debilitating varicose veins. You may seek treatment for spider or varicose veins because they are unpleasant to look at, or because the discomfort has become too much to ignore, but these veins are actually warning signs of a deeper problem in your venous system. At The Vein Center of Florida and The Vein Center of South Baldwin, we offer a variety of minimally invasive treatment options to address both the cosmetic and circulatory health issues signaled by the appearance of spider and varicose veins.
Endovenous Laser Treatment (EVLT)
Endovenous Laser Treatment (EVLT) utilizes laser energy to eliminate problem veins. This minimally invasive treatment involves nothing more than a local anesthetic and less than an hour of your time. When you choose EVLT as your treatment, Dr. Jimenez will numb the area around the affected vein, and insert a small catheter – about the size of an IV needle. He will guide the laser through the catheter into the vein, and as he slowly removes the laser, it will give off heat energy, damaging the walls of the varicose vein. This causes the vein to collapse, and the heat seals it closed. The blood in that vein is naturally rerouted to normal, healthy veins, and the collapsed varicose vein is reabsorbed into your body, eliminating it for good.
EVLT has a 98 percent success rate, and has a very low chance of complications. There are no scars and no downtime required for recovery – in fact, patients are encouraged to walk around immediately after the procedure.
Sclerotherapy
If sclerotherapy is your problem vein treatment of choice, you’ve chosen another minimally invasive procedure that is done in a short time and gives you superior results. It involves an injection of a medically approved sclerosant into the affected vein. The sclerosant irritates the vein walls, causing them to collapse, and eventually fade and disappear as they are absorbed into your body. Sclerotherapy is usually used to treat spider veins, but Dr. Jimenez also offers ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy to treat smaller varicose veins.
Sclerotherapy takes about 30 minutes, and requires no anesthesia. You may be encouraged to wear compression stockings for a short time post-procedure, but you will see immediate and long-lasting results.
Ambulatory Phlebectomy
Ambulatory phlebectomy is considered a microsurgical procedure, because while there are incisions used, they are small and leave little to no scarring. It is used to treat larger varicose veins that may be too small to treat using EVLT, but too large to treat with sclerotherapy.
Dr. Jimenez makes a series of precise incisions along the problem vein, removing it in segments until it is eliminated. The treatment is minimally invasive, and only requires local anesthesia. There is no downtime required, though you may be required to wear a compression bandage and stocking for a few days to minimize swelling and encourage healing. This treatment can be used alone or in conjunction with EVLT for best results.
Dr. Jimenez performs all varicose and spider vein removal procedures in the office at The Vein Center of Florida and The Vein Center of South Baldwin, ensuring that your vein treatment gives you superior -results with comfort and convenience. Call us today at 1-800-910-VEIN to schedule a consultation.