Vein Treatment

Leg vein ablation is a procedure that uses either laser or radiofrequency waves to seal off damaged veins.

Vein ablation is used to treat venous reflux disease (backflow of blood). Vein ablation becomes necessary when your symptoms fail to improve with conservative treatments like compression stockings, exercise, weight loss, and lifestyle changes.

Vein ablation is a minimally-invasive office procedure. Minimally-invasive means one that doesn’t require a large cut. You may experience some discomfort, achiness, soreness, or tightness in the treated leg after the procedure, for which you can take Tylenol.

Yes, vein ablation is a safe procedure. Being less invasive, it doesn’t require significant cuts but tiny openings, and hence, doesn’t leave any large scars.

Vein ablation is a safe and well-tolerated procedure due to the recent advancements in the ablation technology. The rare complications include pain and bruising at the site of ablation, blood clot developing in the treated leg, changes in skin color over the ablated vein, and irritation of the nerves that lie close to the treated veins.

All insurance providers cover vein ablation when deemed medically necessary, i.e., when varicose veins cause bothersome symptoms like leg pain, heaviness, swelling, changes in skin color, and leg ulcers. However, vein ablation solely for cosmetic reasons is not considered medically necessary and is thus usually not covered by insurers.

The problematic vein is first mapped and marked under ultrasound guidance. The area is then numbed with a local anesthetic. A small nick is created in the skin of your leg. A wire is then inserted to help place a sheath (encasing device) into your vein. Your doctor will pass a catheter (a thin tube) into this sheath. The laser or radiofrequency energy is used to seal the faulty vein while slowly removing the catheter. The cut is finally covered with a bandaid, and a compression stocking is placed.

Vein ablation generally takes about 45–60 minutes. Additional sessions of vein ablation spaced over four to six weeks will be required if you have several faulty veins that need treatment.

Vein ablation is not painful. Most patients experience only mild discomfort that goes away in about a week or two after the procedure.

It takes about 12 months for the ablated veins to totally fade out. Bruising and skin color changes around the treated area may persist for weeks to months after vein ablation.

Vein ablation uses laser therapy or radio waves to heat and destroy the walls of the defective veins. Your body then absorbs the dead (scar) tissue on its own.

Yes, vein ablation helps improve your blood flow. The faulty leg veins cause the blood to flow in the wrong direction and pool in your legs. By sealing off these problematic veins, the blood flows through your circulation more efficiently using only your correctly functioning veins.

The risk of nerve damage is a lot less with vein ablation. The use of ultrasound guidance allows us to avoid the nerves that are close to the treated vein. However, heat exposure and large doses of the numbing medication can still induce nerve damage. The nerve will recover after a short time without any intervention.

People with advanced stages of venous reflux disease (backflow of blood) already have lymphedema. Lymphedema is a build-up of lymph (a clear-to-white fluid that runs throughout the lymphatic system of your body). In such patients, vein ablation can help improve lymphedema. However, another procedure for treating varicose veins called vein stripping and ligation carries a much higher risk of worsening lymphedema.

No, vein ablation actually helps improve high blood pressure. When your leg veins become faulty, the blood pools in them. This puts extra strain on your heart, which then needs to work harder to pump all of that pooled blood back up your body, thereby raising the blood pressure. Sealing the faulty leg veins by vein ablation helps redirect the blood flow to other healthier veins. This allows the blood to flow smoothly and prevent high blood pressure.

Your insurance provider will cover your treatment for varicose veins. Your ultrasound study needs to show that your veins are larger than they should be and that the blood is flowing in the opposite direction (reflux).

Varicose veins during pregnancy are treated by safe and conservative measures like wearing compression stockings, elevating the leg at times of rest, and watching your body weight. Vein ablation should be avoided during pregnancy but can be done as soon as six weeks into postpartum.

EVLA stands for endovenous laser ablation. Endovenous means that the entire procedure is carried out “inside” the faulty vein. Laser ablation is destroying the veins by laser therapy.