Treatments for diseased veins can effectively eliminate the varicose veins and symptoms of CVI and prevent the condition from progressing.
If left untreated, varicose veins can sometimes progress to become CVI, a more serious form of venous disease that may present increasingly severe signs and symptoms over time.
Those symptoms include ankle swelling, fatigue, restlessness, leg pain, skin damage, and ulcers.
Support stockings or compression stockings are temporary measures that help with symptoms but will not fix a chronic, physical problem like the minimally invasive technologies and treatments. Compression stockings are not a definitive treatment.
The veins we treat are already diseased and malfunctioning (or pumping blood). Therefore, your body has already created new, healthy veins to take over and work for the failed ones.
Removing the varicosities improves your circulation by redirecting blood out of diseased veins and surrounding healthy veins.
Over time, varicose veins will enlarge and become more symptomatic, forcing many people to alter their daily activities to decrease pain. In severe cases, varicose veins and venous insufficiency can cause skin damage, ulcerations, and blood clots.
These complications can be prevented by treating the varicose veins early.
A venous skin ulcer is caused by a reflux disorder called stasis. Early signs that a venous stasis ulcer may develop include a darkening of the skin in the ankle area. Gradually, the skin may become leathery or waxy in appearance.
Without treatment of the venous disease, the skin may break down, and bleeding may occur.
Almost all major insurance companies and medicare cover diagnosing and treating varicose veins. This includes the initial consultation, venous ablation procedures, and phlebectomy of large veins.
Cosmetic procedures for non-systematic spider veins are not covered by insurance. Schedule a free leg vein screening to determine medical or cosmetic.
Here is our list of covered insurance companies.
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All varicose veins have the potential to progress to become symptomatic, but not all varicose veins result in symptomatic disease. Many physicians discouraged treatment when vein stripping was the only option available. However, with minimally invasive treatments currently available, anyone with varicose veins should consult a vein specialist to receive a proper diagnosis and discuss options.
Varicose veins are enlarged veins that can be blue, red, or flesh-colored. They are often raised above the skin on the legs and look like twisted bulging cords. Varicose veins occur when the valves in the veins that regulate blood flow direction from the legs toward the heart no longer function, causing blood to pool. Often misunderstood as a cosmetic issue, varicose veins can sometimes progress to become symptomatic and a more serious condition.
Spider veins, which often cover the legs, are damaged veins that appear similar to varicose veins, only smaller. Like thin spider webs or branches, these veins appear red or blue, are closer to the skin’s surface, and can spread over various areas. Unlike varicose veins, spider veins are typically not raised above the skin’s surface. Spider veins can be treated with sclerotherapy or laser treatment. Though spider veins may be associated with varicose veins or venous insufficiency, the issue is cosmetic, and treatment is generally out of pocket.
Venous insufficiency is a progressive medical condition in which the valves that regulate blood flow direction from the legs to the heart no longer function causing blood to pool in the legs and veins to swell. Healthy leg veins allow blood to flow against gravity from the legs toward the heart.
Tiny valves inside the veins open and close to help control the flow and pressure. Venous insufficiency occurs when stresses on the venous system – like pregnancy, age, or standing for long periods– weaken the vein structure.
When the veins become weakened or diseased, vein valves no longer promote efficient blood flow, and blood pools in the legs. This impaired blood flow (or reflux) causes veins to expand, lose form, and protrude from beneath the skin.
While Chronic venous insufficiency can affect anyone, family history, gender, and age are significant factors that may increase your risk of developing the disease. For example, women older than 40 are more likely than others to develop venous disease that can lead to CVI. The condition can affect several members of the same family.
Additionally, the following factors may increase your risk for developing varicose veins that can sometimes progress into CVI: lack of exercise lifestyle that requires standing for long periods, excess weight from current or previous pregnancies.
Lifestyle changes may be recommended for mild forms of venous disease to control existing symptoms and prevent others. The following measures may help control varicose veins:
- Manage blood pressure and body weight
- Exercise regularly, focusing on exercises that work your legs (run or walk)
- Elevate your legs whenever possible
- Avoid prolonged standing or sitting
- Avoid clothes that are tight around the waist, thighs or legs
- Strengthen calf muscles and avoid shoes that limit use of calf muscles (I.E., high heels)
- Eat a diet low in salt and rich in high-fiber foods
Since varicose veins cannot always be prevented, talking to a vein specialist about treatment options before the condition progresses and symptoms worsen is essential.
Contact Us
Location
Minneapolis Vein Center
2800 Campus Drive, Suite 20
Plymouth, MN 55441
Phone: (763) 398-8710
Fax: (763) 398-8711
Office Hours
Monday – Friday
7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday – Sunday
Closed