Walking, biking, golfing, playing pickleball, and relaxing outdoors. What do all of these have in common? They are events that Florida natives know and love, but they often get disrupted by the discomfort of varicose veins.
After a day of enjoying your favorite pastime, you should be able to relax and reflect on your new memories. But if you can’t focus on anything other than the cramping and aching in your lower legs, it’s time to find solutions for varicose veins.
At Florida Lakes Vein Center, we offer Varithena near Longboat Key as a non-surgical treatment for varicose veins. Our experienced team uses a specialized solution to help our patients get back to their active lifestyles without soreness or embarrassment.
This guide covers everything you need to know before your Varithena appointment and what you can expect from our vein clinic.
What Are Varicose Veins?
Have you ever noticed a raised, twisted vein on the surface of your skin? If it is accompanied by uncomfortable symptoms, that indicates a varicose vein.
Varicose veins appear as swollen, bulging, rope-like veins, often blue or purple in color, usually located on the calves, ankles, or feet. Your veins consist of tissues and fibers that provide the veins with structure and support. One-way valves within the leg veins keep blood flowing in the correct direction, towards the heart.
In the legs, blood flow works against gravity, making it harder for blood to travel upward to the heart, which can compromise these valves. Excess pressure from damaged valves weakens the vein walls, making the vein swell, bulge, and twist.
While not serious on their own, varicose veins can signal venous reflux disease or other vein conditions, because they develop from improper blood flow.
Treatments like Varithena near Longboat Key help vanquish varicose veins and encourage better vascular health.
Causes of Varicose Veins
Simply put, anything that damages the valves of the vein and forces blood to pool can cause varicose veins. Sometimes this concern results from lifestyle choices, while others have purely genetic causes.
Some of the most common causes of varicose veins we see in our clinic include:
- Family history: You are more likely to have varicose veins if your family members have them.
- Aging: The process of aging weakens vein walls and valves, meaning blood pools more easily.
- Sedentary lifestyle: Sitting extensively, and even standing still for long periods of time, can create excess pressure in the leg veins.
- Obesity: Excess weight puts pressure on the veins and weakens them.
- Smoking: Tobacco and nicotine products damage vascular linings.
When Varicose Veins Need Treatment
Treatment recommendations for varicose veins depend on your symptoms and complications you experience. Many times, these veins don’t cause any symptoms or issues, so some patients can get by without treatment.
However, you might want to seek treatment if your veins cause:
- Achiness or pain
- Burning or cramping
- Heaviness
- Swelling
- Self-consciousness
When varicose veins cause these disruptive symptoms, it becomes medically necessary to treat them, as they can affect your health and put you at risk for further complications.
A vein specialist uses Varithena near Longboat Key at our clinic to reduce the symptoms and appearance of varicose veins.
What to Expect With Varithena for Varicose Veins
Getting back to the golf course or the tennis court without pain and discomfort is easy. Our specialists at Florida Lakes Vein Center use Varithena, an injectable microfoam, to eliminate varicose veins and the symptoms that come with them.
The Varithena Solution
Varithena consists of a microfoam with the active ingredient polidocanol. Polidocanol acts as a chemical agent to help collapse the damaged veins by irritating the vessel walls. After the required treatment series, the vein collapses and your body reabsorbs it.
The Varithena Process
When our team uses Varithena near Longboat Key to address your varicose veins, we keep you as comfortable as possible. Treatment doesn’t need an anesthetic, but we do have topical numbing solutions available if you have concerns about pain. Once you feel ready, we begin the injection process.
Our vein specialists use ultrasound technology to pinpoint each damaged vein and inject Varithena. The solution irritates the blood vessel lining and collapses the vein. Most patients need 4 or more treatments to fully eradicate the vein, experience symptom relief, and reduce the swollen or bulging appearance.
After each appointment, we send you home with an aftercare sheet to help optimize your healing. We recommend leaving our compression dressing on for 24 to 48 hours and avoiding intense workouts. Since the treated vein breaks down over time, avoid long periods of inactivity for the first month after treatment to optimize blood flow.
Advantages of Varithena
At Florida Lakes Vein Center, we use advanced technologies for patient-focused solutions. Through each treatment, we prioritize your safety, health, and comfort. Varithena is a quick, non-surgical procedure that gets you back to your activities promptly.
Safe and Effective
When you receive Varithena near Longboat Key, you receive an FDA-approved solution known to be safe and effective. Varithena is pre-formulated, meaning it is reliable and consistent with a low risk of contaminants.
Minimal Discomfort
Varithena is a non-invasive varicose veins treatment. This means it does not require incisions, stitches, or anything resembling a painful surgery. Typically, patients only need 1 to 2 needle pricks during the session to properly administer Varithena. Many patients drive themselves home afterwards!
Fast Recovery
Our specialists only need around 30 minutes of your day to treat your varicose veins. Unlike invasive vein surgeries, the Varithena process goes quickly. Plus, most patients return to their normal activities the same day and more strenuous activities within the next few days.
Noticeable Symptom Relief
After as few as 4 treatments, patients see and feel noticeable relief from varicose veins. Your unique situation determines how many appointments you need. Our team creates a personalized treatment plan, so you can do what you love most without achiness or heaviness in the legs.
Insurance Coverage
Many insurance companies do cover the cost of Varithena. Since varicose veins can worsen and create more complications, insurance companies often label them as medically necessary to treat.
Prevents Additional Complications
Without intervention, varicose veins can lead to shallow ulcers, often found in the lower legs and ankles. Venous ulcers are slow-healing wounds that need medical attention to prevent infection or long-term damage. Our team uses Varithena near Longboat Key to treat varicose veins and prevent the possibility of a venous ulcer.
Frequently Asked Questions About Varithena
We want to fully inform every patient before they make their decision regarding treatment with us. Here are a few frequently asked questions we hear about Varithena.
How do I know if Varithena is right for me?
Each patient who visits our clinic receives a consultation before treatment. During your one-on-one visit with a provider, we discuss your health history, symptoms, and goals for treatment to confirm that Varithena suits your situation.
If you have blood clots, allergies to the solution, or conditions that affect your healing, we might not recommend Varithena. Our team helps you find the best treatment to support your vascular health, reduce symptoms, and improve your quality of life.
Does Varithena have side effects?
Varithena is FDA-approved, but it does have some potential side effects:
- Temporary leg pain and discomfort after the injection.
- Slight bruising at the injection site.
- Pain or soreness at the injection site.
Once we decide Varithena is the best treatment option for your varicose veins, your vein specialist reviews any possible side effects, so you completely understand the process.
Should you have questions or concerns about the Varithena process or side effects, our team helps answer them during your consultation so you can be confident going into treatment.
When can I start to see results?
Some patients notice results soon after treatment, but it does take time for the vein to collapse fully. After you complete the full course of your treatment, you can expect to feel symptom relief in the few days following your last appointment.
The visible appearance of the vein improves over the next few weeks as the body absorbs the collapsed vein.
How long do the results last?
When our specialists use Varithena near Longboat Key to treat varicose veins, those veins are permanently closed. You will no longer have pain or soreness in these veins.
However, new varicose veins can form over time, and we can perform follow-up Varithena treatments as necessary to keep your legs clear and reduce symptoms.
Live Life Comfortably Again
Through a common concern, varicose veins don’t have to stop you from living your best life. Our experienced team and advanced treatments, like Varithena, help patients return to what matters most without discomfort.
Request a vein screening to discover a life without the burden of varicose veins. You can get back to walking, biking, golfing, and more without slowing down.
Or, use our vein screening tool to virtually tell our team about your concerns. We use your input to provide personalized treatment recommendations. Start your journey to a healthier life!