If varicose veins or spider veins are affecting your quality of life, you’re not alone. Nearly 40 million Americans have varicose veins — the blue, bulging, gnarled veins in the legs and feet that show through the skin.
Telangiectasia, or spider veins, are the more delicate red or blue tracings that appear near the skin’s surface like kinky spider webs. They’re most commonly found on the legs or the face.
Whether your varicose veins or spider veins are a cosmetic concern, they’re causing symptoms such as pain, or there’s an underlying circulatory problem, you can count on the fellowship-trained vascular surgeons at the Cooper Vein Center to provide comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.
What to Expect at Your First Vein Center Visit
Our first priority in addressing varicose veins is to assess your overall health, ensuring that unsightly veins are the only diagnosis we’re dealing with. This involves an initial visit during which one of our vein specialists will perform a complete physical examination and talk with you about your health, lifestyle, family history, and how varicose veins are affecting your life.
We’ll also perform a color flow duplex ultrasound, the gold standard test in diagnosing venous disease, to confirm diagnosis. Painless and noninvasive, the duplex ultrasound provides an accurate assessment of the size and shape of blood vessels as well as a functional evaluation of blood flow.
Treatment Options at the Cooper Vein Center
With today’s advances in technology and techniques, our vascular surgeons can offer a range of successful, minimally invasive options for treating varicose and spider veins. This means treatment can be tailored to your individual situation, lifestyle and preferences.
What’s more, all these treatment options are available at the Cooper Vein Center—and can be conveniently performed on an outpatient basis:
- ClariVein is a new option that is often simpler, faster and, according to research, up to 74 percent less painful than other minimally invasive peripheral vascular treatments. No thermal energy is used, so there is no need for the multiple needle-stick injections of anesthesia (pain-numbing) medication along the length of the treated area. This shortens the time the procedure takes, reduces pain and discomfort, and also eliminates bruising.
- Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) delivers heat—powered by radiofrequency energy—to the vein wall via a tiny catheter. The heat shrinks and seals the vein. You can typically resume your regular activities within one day.
- Endovenous laser therapy (ELVT) is used most frequently and is a minimally invasive procedure in which the physician uses ultrasound-guided laser energy to collapse and seal off the damaged vein. No surgical incisions are made and the procedure is performed under local anesthesia. You’re back on your feet immediately and can resume your regular activities within a day.
- Phlebectomy is used when the largest varicose veins become swollen and inflamed. Physicians remove individual varicose vein clusters from the leg through a series of small incisions; the incisions are so small that no stitches are required. This minimally invasive procedure is done under local anesthesia using micro-instruments and magnification. You’re back on your feet immediately and can resume your regular activities within a day.
- Sclerotherapy is a nonsurgical procedure that involves injecting a special solution directly into the vein, usually the smallest affected veins. The treated vein will fade over time, and any pain associated with the problem vein is reduced significantly after a few weeks. Multiple injections may be required, and the number of veins treated in one session varies, depending on the size and location of the veins and your overall medical condition. Recovery is minimal, but it may take weeks to months for the treated vein(s) to fade.
- Compression stockings are elastic hosiery that support the veins and prevent blood from flowing backward. Doctors often recommend compression stockings as a first line of treatment if you have mild varicose veins. They can help heal skin sores, relieve pain and swelling, and prevent varicose veins from returning.
Insurance Coverage for Varicose Vein Treatment
Health insurance generally covers procedures considered medically necessary and not those regarded cosmetic. The Cooper Vein Center staff will provide you with the appropriate documentation to submit to your insurer for reimbursement purposes.
Contact the Cooper Vein Center
Learn more about the varicose vein treatment options that may be appropriate for you. Schedule your initial appointment with a Cooper vein specialist by calling 800.8.COOPER (800.826.6737).