Vein Treatment

What should I know about vein disease?

The veins in your legs work against gravity to carry blood up your legs. One-way valves inside the veins keep the blood flowing in one direction. If a valve is weak or damaged, however, blood flows backward, a condition called venous reflux.

Venous reflux stops at the next valve down the vein, then the blood accumulates in that area. As a result, that segment of the vein becomes engorged and turns into a bulging, twisted, purplish-blue varicose vein.

The complications of venous reflux don’t stop at varicose veins. Venous reflux means that blood doesn’t return to your heart the way it should, a condition called chronic venous insufficiency.

Chronic venous insufficiency places significant pressure on the veins below the refluxed area. This high venous pressure damages more valves, leading to more varicose veins. It also causes venous stasis ulcers, superficial thrombophlebitis, and deep-vein thrombosis.

What symptoms might I develop due to vein disease?

Varicose veins are known for their appearance, but they may also cause swelling, itching skin, and aching, painful, or tired legs. Superficial thrombophlebitis leads to localized swelling and tenderness, while deep vein thrombosis causes leg pain, swelling, redness, and warmth to the touch.

What type of vein treatment might I receive?

The doctors at South Florida Surgical Group specialize in the minimally invasive treatment of vein disease. Your treatment may include:

Sclerotherapy

During sclerotherapy, your doctor injects a medicine that collapses the walls of varicose veins and causes a scar to form. Your body gradually absorbs the scar tissue, permanently eliminating the vein. Blood flow is automatically rerouted to a healthy vein.

Venous ablation

Your surgeon performs venous ablation using a variety of techniques including a laser or radiofrequency device. In both treatments, carefully controlled energy heats the varicose vein and makes the wall collapse without harming the surrounding tissues.

Microphlebectomy

This procedure uses an incision that’s so tiny it doesn’t need stitches and seldom leaves a scar. Your surgeon at South Florida Surgical Group uses a specialized hook to reach through the small incision and remove the vein.

Thrombolysis

Thrombolysis is a procedure to eliminate a blood clot. Your surgeon threads a catheter through the vein to the clot and releases medication that dissolves the clot.

If you have varicose veins, call South Florida Surgical Group or book an appointment online.