Dr. Sareh Rajaee: board-certified vein specialist in Clifton, New Jersey

Chronic venous insufficiency, the circulatory disorder responsible for spider veins, varicose veins, and most other vein problems, is one of the most underdiagnosed diseases. Most people aren’t aware of vein disease and its symptoms, especially since the signs and symptoms of vein disease are easily misattributed to aging or exhaustion. Furthermore, even those who are aware of vein disease falsely believe the solution lies in complex vascular surgeries, which prevents them from seeking timely care. The lack of awareness about vein care solutions prevents people from consulting vein specialists at the initial stages of vein disease when the condition is most manageable.

Dr. Sareh Rajaee, our board-certified vein specialist in Clifton, believes there’s a pressing need to spread greater awareness about vein care and vein disease. She’s an incredibly talented and compassionate vein doctor with specialized training in minimally invasive spider vein and varicose vein treatments. She completed her Vascular Surgery Residency at Yale New Haven Hospital and acquired her medical degree from the Alpert Medical School at Brown University. Furthermore, she is board-certified by the American Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine, making her one of the country’s top 1% of vein doctors.

If you want to consult with Dr. Rajaee, you can find her at our vein centers in New Jersey, located at 1117 US-46 Suite 205, Clifton, and 140 NJ-17 #103, Paramus. You may book an appointment online or call +1 973-447-1383. Please continue reading if you want to learn more about spider veins and varicose veins.

What are spider and varicose veins?

Spider veins are dense clusters of reddish or bluish blood vessels visible on the skin’s surface. People often say spider veins look like a dense mass of spider webs spreading outwards from a central location. Varicose veins are also diseased and damaged blood vessels, but they don’t just stay underneath the skin’s surface; they bulge out of the skin’s surface in thick, veiny ropes. Patients often describe varicose veins as dense tree trunks protruding from the legs.

What’s the root cause of spider and varicose veins?

Spider and varicose veins are two stages of damaged blood vessels caused by chronic venous insufficiency, the root cause of most vein problems. Venous insufficiency is a circulatory disorder wherein your vein valves collapse. Healthy veins contain valves that ensure one-way blood circulation towards the heart, often against the force of gravity. When your vein valves collapse, gravity forces blood to flow backward and accumulate in the leg veins, eventually leading to spider veins and protruding varicose veins.

What does it mean if I have leg pain, restless legs, and leg heaviness?

Leg pain, restless leg syndrome, leg heaviness, and frequent leg cramps can occur because of a wide range of reasons. Most people attribute them to aging, exhaustion, and other such concerns. However, if you experience several of these symptoms, especially at the end of the day or after long periods of sitting or standing still, there’s a strong chance you may have underlying chronic venous insufficiency. In that case, please contact your vein specialist in Clifton for a diagnosis and treatment.

How is chronic venous insufficiency diagnosed?

Duplex ultrasound is the leading diagnostic test for chronic venous insufficiency. During your consultation at the vein center in Clifton, the vein doctor will examine your leg veins, review your medical history, discuss your symptoms, and then schedule an ultrasound diagnostic test. The technician will move the ultrasound device over your legs, emitting ultrasound energy to visualize the direction of blood flow in your leg veins on a computer screen. The vein doctor will interpret the results to determine if you have chronic venous insufficiency.

What happens if I don’t seek varicose vein treatments?

Venous insufficiency is a chronic condition that gradually worsens with time if left untreated. If you don’t seek varicose vein treatments promptly, the symptoms of vein disease will continue worsening. Blood will continue accumulating in your leg veins, thus restricting optimal blood circulation to the heart. Your varicose veins will continue expanding because of accumulated blood, eventually increasing the risk of burst varicose veins, which would lead to profuse bleeding and a necessary trip to the emergency room.

Can you treat spider and varicose veins using home remedies and lifestyle changes?

No. You cannot treat spider and varicose veins through homemade remedies, topical creams, or dietary changes. Spider veins and varicose veins are caused by damaged vein valves in your leg veins, so you can’t fix the issue with home remedies. You can, however, implement some lifestyle changes, such as exercising, walking frequently, and wearing compression stockings, to prevent the condition from worsening. The aforementioned lifestyle changes encourage blood circulation towards the heart, preventing further blood accumulation in the leg veins.

What are the best spider and varicose vein treatments?

You must consult spider vein and varicose vein doctors specializing in minimally invasive spider vein and varicose vein treatments. Minimally invasive procedures, such as radiofrequency ablation, endovenous laser ablation, and sclerotherapy are in-office procedures that conclude within 30 minutes with no downtime. They are safe and painless procedures that involve a negligible risk of complications, allowing you to resume your daily activities without delay. You must avoid vein centers in New Jersey that recommend vascular surgeries.

What’s the recovery process after varicose vein treatments?

Minimally invasive spider vein and varicose vein treatments are outpatient procedures without any downtime. You may have to wear ACE bandages for 24 hours and compression stockings for a week or more, and you may have to avoid strenuous workouts, saunas, and hot showers, but you can resume most of your daily activities and work immediately. Most patients seek vein treatments during their lunch break and resume working immediately.