What to Expect at a Vein Clinic?

What to expect at a vein clinic?

If you have spider veins, varicose veins, or other signs and symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency, you must consult your nearest vein doctors. If you have an upcoming appointment, you may have concerns about what you can expect. Most patients assume that vein treatments necessitate complex surgical treatments, but that’s simply incorrect. Others assume that vein treatments are cosmetic procedures, but that’s not true either.

We want to set the record straight and provide accurate information about vein treatments. In the past, vein problems could only be addressed with complex surgical treatments, but that’s no longer true. These days, the most reliable vein treatment clinics only provide minimally invasive spider vein and varicose vein treatments. Furthermore, your vein clinic must also diagnose and treat the root cause of your vein problems — not just the visible spider veins.

Our spider vein and varicose vein treatment centers in Texas specialize in comprehensive vein care and minimally invasive vein treatments. Our vein doctors carefully examine your leg veins, understand your goals, and curate personalized vein treatment plans for you. If you have spider veins or varicose veins, please schedule an appointment at our vein treatment clinic in Houston, TX, today.

Below, we provide an overview of everything you can expect at our vein clinic in TX.

Physical Examination

Your vein treatment process at our vein clinic starts with a physical examination. The vein doctor will examine your leg veins to identify the location of your spider veins and varicose veins. They will also look for other signs of vein disease, the root cause of most vein problems, such as skin discoloration and leg ulcers. The vein doctor will also ask about your symptoms — leg heaviness, frequent leg cramps, leg swelling, restless leg syndrome, and leg pain are common symptoms of venous insufficiency.

Vascular Imaging

The physical examination will be followed by advanced vascular imaging tests, such as duplex ultrasound. During the duplex ultrasound scan, the vein doctor will move a handheld device over your legs, channeling ultrasound energy into your legs to visualize the blood flow in your leg veins on a computer screen. The direction of blood flow in your leg vein confirms the presence or absence of chronic venous insufficiency — backward blood circulation and accumulated blood are clear indicators of vein disease.

Treatment Planning

The vein doctor will curate a personalized vein treatment plan after the diagnosis. Vein disease and spider veins can be treated using numerous minimally invasive procedures, but the vein doctor will select the ideal treatments for you. The vein doctor will recommend the ideal vein treatment plan based on the location and size of your veins, whether you have vein disease and your insurance coverage options. After curating a vein treatment plan, the vein doctor will explain the entire process to you.

Primary Vein Treatment

If you have chronic venous insufficiency, your vein treatment will start with radiofrequency ablation, endovenous laser ablation, or venaseal. These procedures have the same underlying goal — collapsing the diseased saphenous vein to reroute the accumulated blood into healthier leg veins and restore optimal blood circulation. However, different vein treatments use different techniques to accomplish that goal. The ablation procedures involve channeling thermal energy or laser energy to destroy the diseased vein. And VenaSeal involves injecting a medical adhesive into the diseased vein.

Cosmetic Vein Treatment

If you don’t have chronic venous insufficiency or after the primary vein treatment, the vein doctor will recommend sclerotherapy, foam sclerotherapy, or ambulatory phlebectomy. These are cosmetic procedures that remove the superficial varicose veins and spider veins, improving your leg’s appearance. Sclerotherapy involves injecting a sclerosant solution into the spider veins, turning them into hardened scars tissues eventually metabolized by the body. And ambulatory phlebectomy involves the physical extraction of varicose veins through small incisions on the skin’s surface.

Recovery & Aftercare

Minimally invasive spider vein and varicose vein treatments conclude within an hour with no downtime. After your vein treatment, the vein doctor will apply pressure on your leg veins while you stand up to prevent blood from flowing back into your legs. You’ll have to wear compression stockings for a few weeks to facilitate optimal blood circulation, and you must start walking immediately. You can resume most of your daily activities and work, but you should avoid heavy lifting for a few days.

What do you wear to a vein appointment?

You should ideally wear loose-fitting clothes to your vein appointments, such as a dress, skirt, or loose-fitting pants. You should be able to take the piece of clothing on or off with ease.

How long does it take to recover from vein surgery?

Traditional varicose vein surgeries involve an extended downtime of two to four weeks. However, you should avoid vein surgeries and opt for minimally invasive spider vein and varicose vein treatments — they conclude within an hour with no downtime.

Is vein treatment painful?

Vein treatment is virtually painless because we perform the procedures under local anesthesia, and we use tumescent anesthesia to protect the tissues surrounding your diseased vein. At most, you’ll feel slight pressure when the catheter is inserted into your skin during the treatment.

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