Varicose Veins: Causes and Treatment Options

Venous insufficiency develops over time and is the cause of leg varicose veins, unsightly surface veins, swelling of the legs, redness of the legs and ankles, and aching in the legs. Fortunately, there are many advanced treatments we offer that can clear away these unsightly veins.

Varicose veins are typically painless but may eventually develop symptoms such as aching and discomfort. Rashes, restless legs, swelling in the ankles and purple lumps under the skin are also common issues that patients may experience.

Treatment Choices for Varicose Veins

For moderately bulging varicose veins, there are simple effective treatment methods such as foam sclerotherapy and microphlebectomy. 

More advanced cases, however, need either surgical intervention or treatment with one of the minimally invasive procedures that are currently available in advanced vein clinics all over the USA and many other countries.

Examples of minimally invasive procedures include Venefit Radiofrequency Ablation, ClariVein, and Endovenous Laser Therapy (EVLT). These procedures are all office-based and do not require general anesthesia. All these systems rely on Ultrasound imaging to guide a catheter of a laser fiber inside a varicose vein. The generated heat, either due to radiofrequency or a laser fiber destroys the vein, which is eventually absorbed by the body.

In ClariVein, on the other hand, the varicose vein is not destroyed by heat. This hand-held device has a catheter equipped with a wire. When the machine is turned on, the wire agitates to scrape the vein wall, at the same time the machine sprinkles a sclerosant solution.

Unlike Venefit and EVLT, the Clarivein machine is not yet approved by the FDA for varicose vein treatment. despite the fact that the procedure seems to be safe and effective. It should be mentioned that in contrast with the heat-based techniques, Clarivein does not require the injection of a large amount of tumescent anesthesia around the varicose vein that needs closure. The reason is that the tissue around the treated vein does not need to be protected from the heat generated inside the vein.

Visit our page on varicose vein treatment Options or speak with Dr. Raffi Dishakjian to learn more about our available treatments for varicose veins.

Contact us at our office to schedule a consultation.