Vein ablation is a minimally-invasive, non-surgical treatment offered at Vein Treatment Clinic New York, where you can be sure to expect state-of-the-art treatment from excellent doctors. Click HERE to book an appointment at our excellent vein center, or keep reading to learn more about vein ablation and what to expect after this procedure.
Minimally Invasive Treatment
Treatment for spider and varicose veins used to be limited to surgical operations, but advances in biomedical research have made it feasible to treat varicose and spider veins using less invasive techniques. Rather than a lengthy operation followed by an even longer hospital stay, minimally invasive treatments take around an hour and require just a minor incision to be performed. Minimally invasive treatments are less risky, take less time to perform, and need less recuperation time after leaving the medical center.
There are several minimally invasive treatment methods available, so when you schedule a visit at a vein treatment clinic, the vein specialist will evaluate you and establish the best treatment plan for you. Vein ablation, a procedure that makes use of heat energy to seal off damaged veins, is one of these methods.
Types of Vein Ablation
There are multiple types of ablation used to treat spider and varicose veins, but our vein specialists recommend radiofrequency ablation, as it has been proved to be safe and effective, and does not require any recovery time. The vein doctor will utilize ultrasound imaging to send a tiny catheter into the compromised vein, where it radiates thermal energy to the vein walls, essentially shutting them down. This procedure has a 97 percent success rate and is instantly effective, redirecting blood flow to healthier veins to enhance circulation and minimize appearance of spider and varicose veins.
A far more dangerous type of ablation is endovenous laser ablation, which uses a laser to cause an inflammatory reaction in the vein that creates a seal to eventually reroute blood through other healthy veins. It may sound like a quick fix, but this treatment actually has a week-long recovery time after a visit to the vein clinic, and there is a lot more pain and discomfort resulting from this procedure than radiofrequency ablation. For these reasons, it is best to avoid this type of vein treatment procedure.
Start Walking
As previously said, you may resume your normal activities immediately following radiofrequency vein ablation at a vein treatment clinic, but there are several physician-recommended precautions you can take to maximize the procedure’s effectiveness. Since there is no anesthetic administered or required recovery period, doctors recommend that you start walking around immediately following your surgery to promote blood flow to your legs, which will speed up the treatment process and help you to achieve the desired results sooner.
Compression Stockings
Depending on the severity of your spider veins, your doctor may also advise you to wear compression stockings for one to three weeks following your session. Compression stockings deliver steady and uniform pressure to the blood vessels in the treated regions, preventing bruising and inflammation. If your vein specialist suggests that you wear compression stockings, they will do a compression stocking custom-fitting following your treatment at the vein clinic so you know what type and size to purchase.
Avoid UV Exposure
The final recommendation is to avoid direct sun exposure for three weeks, especially in the treated regions, and to apply SPF60 sunscreen for up to six weeks. If you tend to tan easily, avoid excessive sun exposure to avoid hyperpigmentation and dark patches. Because vein treatment contributes to improving the appearance of spider veins, it is advisable to avoid direct sunlight. UV rays from the sun can cause the skin above the treated veins to darken, making them appear worse than the spider veins themselves.
Alleviation of Spider Veins and Varicose Veins
Varicose veins are enlarged blood vessels that appear dark purple, green, blue, or red. They are most frequently found in the legs and have a knotted and twisted appearance, as opposed to healthy veins, which flow in a relatively straight line. Spider veins are smaller but more visible on the skin, and they are web-like, as the name implies, and are often seen on the lower limbs.
Once the damaged veins are sealed with vein ablation, blood can be rerouted through healthy veins to improve circulation and decrease the appearance of spider veins and varicose veins.
Decreased Pain in Legs
Vein disease is often associated with various types of pain in the legs, including:
- heaviness or aching in the legs, especially after a long day of being on your feet, because more blood makes its way down to the legs
- leg fatigue and swelling in the feet or ankles due to blood pooling in the lower extremities
- leg muscle cramps due to insufficient circulation, which would otherwise carry away excess lactic acid produced from normal muscular activity
- Itchy, burning, or throbbing varicose veins and spider veins
These different types of pain in the legs can all be alleviated by vein ablation at a reputable vein clinic. This minimally-invasive treatment is able to restore quality of life that you may have lost due to pain or discomfort in your legs.
Before-and-After Photos
A vein clinic’s online reviews can help you understand the quality of the service they offer. Although people often write reviews if they have a very good or very bad experience, reading a few testimonials will give you a general idea of the overall experience at the medical center. If the reviews include photos from before and after the procedure, these images can serve as a valuable way to assess the success of vein ablation at the vein center.
If you are comfortable with sharing your story, your photos speak a thousand words. Your experiences can raise awareness and confidence in people who have vein disease that they too can find relief from the fatigue, pain, and discomfort they have been experiencing.
If you are ready to get started on your vein ablation journey, you now know exactly what to do after your procedure and what results you can expect. Book your appointment at the Vein Treatment Center New York in Manhattan or Long Island and go into your appointment at a vein center in New York feeling more prepared and informed about your treatment plan!