So, you’re thinking it might be time to visit a vein center.
Are you sick of looking at the spider veins on your face or the varicose veins on your legs? Are they getting out of control or causing you discomfort? If the answer is yes – it’s definitely time to visit a vein center!
Vein centers are becoming more and more common. However, if you aren’t familiar with vein centers, here’s what to expect.
What to Expect From Your Vein Center
Professional Medical Treatments
Did you know that the experts who specialize in vein removal are vascular surgeons? They’ve gone through medical school, completed a residency, and worked in their specialty in order to practice vein removal. Many are board-certified. Board certification requires a certain amount of experience as well as meeting other criteria.
Everything Under Your Vein Center’s Roof
Removal of spider and varicose veins is performed so often that there are vein centers entirely devoted to vein removal. We recommend visiting a vein center rather than a regular doctor because vein removal is all that vein centers do. This means that everything from your consultation to treatment to follow-up visits is under one roof. It also means that your provider has extensive knowledge and experience in removing veins and dealing with various conditions.
Multiple Treatment Options
Different kinds of veins require different kinds of treatments. A vein center has the latest technological tools and treatment options. The method used to treat your varicose or spider veins can depend on their size and placement. For example, ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy is best for smaller varicose veins and spider veins on the legs, while laser ablation is best for treating smaller spider veins on the face.
Rapid Results
It’s going to take a lot less time to get rid of varicose and spider veins than it is to develop them. Don’t be surprised if you notice your varicose or spider veins begin to disappear after your first appointment.
Help Navigating Health Insurance
Health insurance policies can be almost as hard to navigate as taxes. If your varicose veins are a medical condition, your health insurance may cover the vein removal treatment. However, if you are having spider veins or varicose veins removed for purely cosmetic reasons, then you will probably have to pay out of your own pocket. The staff at a good vein center will help guide you through what your insurance covers – or doesn’t cover – and how much you can expect to pay out of pocket.
At Your First Vein Center Appointment
Your first appointment at a vein center is usually a consultation. You come back to receive any treatment.
At your first appointment, your vein specialist will
- go over your medical history with you
- ask about current symptoms
- administer a physical examination.
If you have pain, swelling, heaviness, tingling, or fatigue, you must tell the vein specialist. These types of symptoms can signify an underlying problem.
The specialist may want to perform an ultrasound so that they can see the condition of the abnormal veins under the surface of your skin better.
You will leave your first appointment with a treatment plan and a date for a treatment session. The staff will also submit to your insurance company to get approval if that is appropriate.
The Kinds of Treatments You Can Expect at a Vein Center
The treatment that your vein specialist recommends for you will depend on your condition. Luckily, many vein removal options today are non-invasive, or minimally invasive, and easy to perform. Each differs slightly in why it may be prescribed or what it involves.
Endovenous Laser Ablation of the Saphenous Vein (ELAS)
This clinically proven, FDA-approved technique permanently eliminates varicose veins. Performed under local anesthetic, this minimally invasive procedure causes no damage to the surrounding tissue. Your specialist makes a very small puncture and inserts a thin laser into the damaged vein. The laser creates heat that causes the vein to collapse, making blood flow through the healthy veins. Not only will you enjoy a fast recovery, but the procedure will leave your legs scar-free!
Ambulatory Phlebectomy
This procedure removes very twisted varicose veins on the surface of the legs. Your specialist removes damaged veins through a tiny puncture in the skin. They perform this procedure under local anesthetic, and the incisions are so small no stitches are required – and there’s no scarring! The procedure leaves no bruising and is virtually painless!
Sclerotherapy
This non-invasive vein removal treatment uses injections of sclerosing agents to make spider veins disappear quickly. The injected agents seal up the enlarged and broken blood vessels. This causes the blood that is visible just under the skin to disappear. This treatment is often used on the face.
Laser Therapy
This non-invasive treatment uses intense laser lights to destroy problematic veins. The intense pulses of laser light cause the blood in the vein to coagulate, which eliminates the vein. Your body absorbs the destroyed vein and redirects the blood through other veins. This treatment is virtually painless and happens in the office.
What the Vein Center Will Expect From You
Having a vein removal treatment isn’t like going to a spa. You don’t just walk in and get treated, turn around, and go back to work.
Even though these procedures are non-invasive or minimally invasive and require no hospital stay, you still need to be prepared. Your vein specialist will give you all the details that you need to know before you come to your treatment session, but here’s what you can usually expect:
- You will need someone to drive you to and from the treatment center.
- If your legs need treating, wear loose-fitting clothing because some treatments can cause slight tenderness in the legs.
- Do not eat or drink anything for 8 hours before your treatment.
- Expect your session to last for an hour.
- There will be some recovery time, but it will be minimal.
Ready to get rid of those unsightly veins? Contact us today!