The veins in your body play an essential part in circulation; they are responsible for carrying the blood back to your heart. When the valves in the veins are unhealthy, the blood flow is partially reversed, which leads to blood pooling in your legs instead of being carried to your heart. Blood pooling in the legs veins is known as vein insufficiency or vein disease.

Several factors can contribute to vein insufficiency, for example, family history, age, blood clots, and pregnancy. One in three Americans over the age of 45 has some vein disease.

Some vein insufficiency symptoms include leg pain, night cramps, swelling, heaviness in the legs, eczema, spider veins, and varicose veins. If untreated, vein insufficiency can result in more severe conditions affecting the skin’s integrity and producing changes in the color of the skin and even skin ulceration.

At the vein clinic, you will be evaluated by a vein specialist, also known as a Phlebologist.   Highly qualified phlebologists have a background in vascular medicine and will maintain board-certifications in either vascular surgery, cardiology or the American Board of Vascular and Lymphatic Medicine (ABVLM).

A vein clinic without a board-certified vascular specialist should be further evaluated.

Once a vein specialist physician has considered your medical history and performed a physical exam, a technician may perform a vascular ultrasound to check for vein insufficiency.  

A registered vascular technologist (RVT) credential raises the standard of vascular ultrasound practice. By earning the RVT credential, the sonographer demonstrates the skills and knowledge required for providing consistent and reliable exams for evaluation of vein disease. The vein specialist physician will review the results of the testing and discuss the best treatment options for your condition. 

Specialized vein clinics offer a variety of treatment options for both medical and cosmetic conditions.  The most popular and effective treatments are:

1. Endovenous ablation is used to treat larger bulging  veins, it uses energy (Radiofrequency or Laser) to close the varicose vein. 
2. Chemical ablation is ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy, it is used to treat varicose veins that can’t be treated with ablation. 
3. Sclerotherapy consists of a series of injections of a sclerosant solution  to treat the smaller spider veins at the surface of the skin.