What are varicose veins?

• Stretched, dilated superficial vein branches distended by increased pressure in larger veins
• Varicose veins cause symptoms of burning, aching, leg fatigue, swelling, and are often unsightly.

What causes them?

• Veins are intended to have one-way valves so blood can return “uphill” to the heart.
• When valves break down, the pressure of gravity distends and stretches vein branches.
• The most common causes are genetics and pregnancy.
• Bad veins create more bad veins in a cascading effect.

Do I need these veins?

• No, neither the saphenous veins, the perforators nor the varicose veins themselves are essential. In fact, since diseased veins have abnormal direction flow, they are actually detrimental to your circulation.
• An important step in advanced vein management is to carefully identify with ultrasound the faulty veins that contribute to the problem. Normal veins are never treated or removed.

Do I have to have them treated?

• Without treatment varicose veins always progress.
• Gravity always wins! Larger and longer varicose veins are harder to treat and are associated with worse symptoms. The “end stage” of untreated varicose veins are chronically swollen legs with brown / purple discoloration (stasis dermatitis). This unhealthy skin will break down and form chronic, draining ulcers at the ankle (stasis ulcers).

Are there new and better techniques now?

• Yes, we employ new state of the art techniques including: VNUS Closure, YAG laser therapy, Intense Pulsed Light therapy, TriVex procedure, and sclerothearpy