Twisting blue or purple veins are often found on the back of your legs. If you’re part of the 30-60% of people living with varicose veins, you probably know just how annoying they can be.
Do you always wear pants to hide your veins? Though most aren’t usually hazardous to your health, you might wish to correct them for cosmetic reasons.
At The Painless Center, with locations in Carlstadt and Tenafly, New Jersey, we provide vein ablation for those who want to get beautiful, even-toned skin again.
Arteries transport blood from your heart to other parts of your body. Veins, on the other hand, carry blood from all parts of your body back to your heart.
To help assure the blood doesn’t flow backward, your veins contain a one-way valve. When the valve becomes damaged, blood may go backward and collect in the vein, causing it to distort into a varicose vein.
Women are more likely to develop varicose veins than men because of two of their bodies’ hormones: progesterone and estrogen. These hormones may impact the valve in your veins, causing them to work less efficiently and to relax the vein walls.
Up to 40% of expecting mothers experience varicose veins. This is because of the increased blood production that helps support their growing baby. The extra blood supply may place more pressure on your veins, particularly the ones found in your legs.
Varicose veins come in many different shapes and with many different symptoms. For some people, they’re painless, while others experience discomfort and poor blood circulation.
Jason Chiu, MD may suggest vein ablation to remove varicose veins and help you regain confidence. But how exactly does it work?
Vein ablation uses radiofrequency energy to heat your vein’s wall. Dr. Chiu makes a small incision in your leg or affected area and inserts a tiny catheter. The catheter administers high temperatures to gently compromise the vein and close off its blood flow.
Your lymphatic system works to clear out the cellular debris over the next few weeks. Most patients notice an improvement after a week, but it may take two to four weeks for your full results to show.
If you’re considering vein ablation, you’re probably wondering if it hurts. Dr. Chiu will administer a mild sedative to help keep you comfortable during your procedure. Most patients tolerate the procedure well and report feeling little to no pain.
Though your appointment may take a few hours, the actual vein ablation only takes about 45 minutes. It is a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure that requires no downtime.
Vein ablation using radiofrequency heat successfully closes off the vein in 88% of cases. That makes it a higher success rate than other types of vein removal like sclerotherapy. Vein ablation is a great option for most people because of its efficacy and short procedure time that allows you to return to work the following day.
Are you ready to say goodbye to your varicose veins? Contact us to schedule your consultation, and see if vein ablation is a good option for you.
