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Which Vein Treatment Is Right for You?

Rank the Options for Spider and Varicose Vein Treatment.

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Are You Debating Whether To Try Vein Treatment?

This article explains the advantages and disadvantages of the various vein treatment options in Bergen County to help you make an informed decision. Read on to gain insight about the right solution for your condition and the right doctor to provide your care.

Treatment for varicose veins and spider veins used to be a painstaking endeavor with mixed results. However, the introduction of minimally invasive procedures dramatically changed the landscape of vascular medicine. Technological advances for venous disease have outpaced virtually all other medical fields in recent decades. Treating unhealthy veins is now swift and painless in the hands of the right doctor. However, treatment options have multiplied with the latest innovations, so choosing the right treatment can be confusing for patients. Let’s take a close look at the procedural options so you can identify both the best treatment and best vein doctor in NJ state for your specific needs.

Let’s start by understanding what causes varicose veins and spider veins to form, since that’s an essential piece of the treatment puzzle. Venous insufficiency is a common disease wherein the veins below the skin’s surface begin to malfunction. Rather than transporting blood efficiently up toward the heart, damaged valves in the leg veins allow accumulation or retrograde flow of blood back down toward your feet. This creates additional pressure in the veins, prompting the formation of varicose veins or spider veins at the skin’s surface. To eliminate these unhealthy veins permanently, a vein doctor must check for venous insufficiency and treat it to prevent the superficial veins from continuing to form. This condition is typically easy to treat, but it requires the expertise of a board-certified vein doctor.

Vein Treatment Options

Endovenous
Ablation

Also known As: Radiofrequency Ablation, Ablation, Laser Ablation.
Best For: Vein symptoms that include heaviness, discomfort, restless legs, leg fatigue, cramps, venous insufficiency, and large varicose veins.

What Is Endovenous Ablation?

Endovenous ablation addresses the malfunction of faulty valves by eliminating damaged veins. Our vein doctors in NJ state use thermal energy to destroy the unhealthy veins that are subjected to excess pressure, thereby preventing the offshoot of spider veins and formation of varicose veins. By eradicating the broken valves, blood is able to move in the proper direction for improved circulation.

How Does Endovenous Ablation Work?

This safer and more effective alternative to vein surgery was introduced over a decade ago and is now a first line of treatment for reputable vein centers. It outperforms vein stripping surgery on most fronts, particularly the patient experience. Stripping involves a painful ripping of the vein from the body and often requires general anesthesia, whereas ablation simply requires a gentle numbing of the skin’s surface and a swift and gentle injection. Your vein specialist inserts a tiny device into the damaged vein and also surrounds it with a protective numbing fluid that safeguards both the vein and surrounding tissue. The device is then activated, emitting gentle heat via high intensity sound waves to the vein walls. This heat prompts the vein walls to close. No longer vital, the vein is absorbed by the body. Ablation helps redirect blood to the healthy veins capable of carrying it back to the heart. This innovative procedure is complete in under 30 minutes, allowing you to resume work and other obligations. The doctors at our New Jersey Vein Center in Paramus and Clifton are proficient in multiple types of endovenous ablation, including radiofrequency therapy and laser therapy. The main difference in these treatments is how the device generates heat (light vs. sound waves). Talk to our vein experts about the right ablation procedure for you. We’re happy to explain the differences as we’ve performed hundreds of endovenous ablation procedures since the method’s invention.

Pros

Endovenous ablation addresses the underlying vein disease, not just the veins at the surface. It’s much safer and less costly and time-consuming than vein surgery. Ablation is typically covered by insurance. Patients are usually able to return to work immediately, avoiding downtime completely. Endovenous ablation has 10 years’ worth of evidence proving safety and efficacy, which is why it’s a top choice for our vein doctors in New Jersey.

Pros Summary:
  • No downtime
  • Safer and more effective than vein stripping
  • Most insurance companies cover it
  • Long-standing safety record

Cons

Vein centers have access to several devices, and the technology continues to change. It’s important to choose a board-certified doctor who’s sufficiently trained on the tools they’ll be using. Inquire about your vein doctor’s background and number of procedures performed before you agree to ablation. This procedure requires tumescent anesthesia injections to surround the vein and prevent discomfort. Radiofrequency ablation is safe and painless when performed by a competent doctor, but a less experienced provider might invoke unnecessary pain and multiple injections.
Cons Summary:
  • Requires precision
  • Multiple devices on the market, so a trained doctor is a must

Is Endovenous Ablation a Good Option for You?

Most patients are well suited to endovenous ablation and find that their insurance covers the procedure. New Jersey Vein Center favors radiofrequency ablation over laser therapy, since it tends to be more comfortable for patients. If you’re looking to relieve venous insufficiency or unsightly veins, endovenous ablation is likely a good fit for you.

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VenaSeal

Also known As: Vein Glue
Best For: The vein disease that causes varicose veins and spider veins, restless legs syndrome, cramps, heaviness, leg fatigue, and discomfort.

What Is VenaSeal?

Recently introduced by Medtronic, an innovative scientific company, this new procedure makes use of cyanoacrylate glue to seal off unhealthy veins. While it’s new to spider and varicose vein treatment, this sealant has long been used in other vascular medical procedures with a proven safety record.

How Does VenaSeal Work?

This newer treatment utilizes ultrasound technology to pinpoint damaged veins. After numbing the entry point on your skin, your vein doctor will direct a small catheter into the offending vein. With ultrasound guidance, the physician places the tip of the catheter in the desired location and gradually injects the cyanoacrylate glue through the catheter into the vein. The result is the vein essentially gluing itself together, thereby redirecting blood into healthy veins.

Pros

This newer treatment utilizes ultrasound technology to pinpoint damaged veins. After numbing the entry point on your skin, your vein doctor will direct a small catheter into the offending vein. With ultrasound guidance, the physician places the tip of the catheter in the desired location and gradually injects the cyanoacrylate glue through the catheter into the vein. The result is the vein essentially gluing itself together, thereby redirecting blood into healthy veins.

Pros Summary:
  • Latest innovation
  • Works well for veins that have been treated with
    other methods

Cons

VenaSeal is newer than most vein treatments, so the future impact on patients is somewhat unclear. Allergic reaction is possible in some patients. Others aren’t comfortable with the idea of the glue permanently residing in their bodies. Check with our vein centers in New Jersey to see if your insurance will cover VenaSeal, since it’s still a new procedure.
Cons Summary:
  • Some doctors aren’t trained in VenaSeal
  • Many insurance companies don’t cover it yet
  • Glue hardens and remains in the body
  • Possibility of allergic reaction

Is VenaSeal a Good Option for You?

Patients who have already treated their vein disease are good candidates for VenaSeal. A comprehensive allergy assessment by your doctor is important before using VenaSeal. Our insurance specialists will determine your coverage prior to VenaSeal treatment, since some carriers don’t cover it yet.

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Sclerotherapy

Also known As: STS, vein injections, saline injections, salt solution injections, cosmetic sclerotherapy.
Best For: Spider veins and smaller varicose veins

What Is Sclerotherapy?

With sclerotherapy, doctors inject a sclerosant, or irritant, into the damaged vein to provoke its collapse. As a result, the vein shrinks fades and becomes less visible.

How Does Sclerotherapy Work?

Either guided by ultrasound or by visual exam, your vein doctor locates the unhealthy vein. With a small needle, the vein doctor injects a sclerosant solution into the vein via a numbed entry point on your skin. There are several medicinal sclerosants, including the oldest one, a salt-water solution called hypertonic saline. But newer sclerotherapy uses gentler solutions that are less painful. If the vein is located at the surface, your doctor can inject it unassisted. If the vein is a bit deeper, they’ll use ultrasound guidance to deliver the medicine precisely to the vein. This irritant causes the vein to collapse, eliminating the problem area.

Pros

Sclerotherapy’s liquid form enables it to navigate twisted veins with ease, unlike the catheters used in endovenous ablation. This treatment is especially efficacious for superficial spider veins easily accessed with a needle. Sclerotherapy is often a better choice than laser treatment for spider veins.
Pros Summary:
  • Top choice for spider veins
  • Patients resume work and activities immediately

Cons

Doctors can choose from a variety of sclerotherapy options that vary in price and efficacy. Each type has certain pros and cons, and even different formulations. Many liquid sclerosants must be diluted for proper dosing. The right dose varies by patient, and some doctors aren’t trained in accurate dosing. If a vein doctor uses substandard medicine or doesn’t mix it correctly, patients can experience pain and discoloration of their skin. A more serious complication, called necrosis, occurs when the doctor mistakenly injects muscles or arteries instead of the vein. That’s why it’s important to choose a qualified vein center like New York Vein Center for sclerotherapy.
Cons Summary:
  • Experienced provider is imperative
  • Dilution and type of sclerosant affect the outcome

Is Sclerotherapy a Good Option for You?

If the appearance of spider veins, rather than venous insufficiency, is your top concern, sclerotherapy is a good choice for you. If you aren’t a good candidate for RF ablation or VenaSeal, sclerotherapy is also a great option.

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Foam Sclerotherapy

Also known As: Vein injection, foamed sclerosant ablation.
Best For: Small and large varicose veins.

What is Foam Sclerotherapy?

Foam sclerotherapy replaces the liquid of traditional sclerotherapy with a bubbly solution to close unhealthy veins. Since most sclerosants are essentially detergents, they can be agitated to foam up. Doing so allows vein doctors to fill the vein more fully using less medication. Foam keeps the dosage low and is also easier to track on the ultrasound, assisting your doctor in the procedure.

The Procedure

By examining your skin, or if needed, using ultrasound guidance, your vein doctor finds the problematic vein and numbs the skin above it. Your doctor will then mix a sclerotherapy solution by combining the medication with air rapidly via two syringes. This ensures the foam has the optimal freshness and consistency to perform its duty. Following injection, your doctor uses the ultrasound to observe the foam’s activity in your vein.

Pros

Recurrent vein disease is well suited for foam sclerotherapy. Patients with very twisted and tortuous veins also benefit from this treatment that accesses areas conventional methods can’t reach.
Pros Summary:
  • Maneuvers well in twisted veins
  • Good choice for recurrent vein disease

Cons

Foam sclerosants are adept at moving throughout veins, which means they can travel into deeper veins when applied incorrectly. Always choose a qualified doctor to prevent medicine from spreading into deeper, healthy veins. Our vein doctors in New Jersey will always assess the intricate venous connections in your legs before administering foam sclerotherapy.
Cons Summary:
  • Highly trained physician is essential
  • Identifying perforating vein connections is required

Is Foam Sclerotherapy a Good Option for Me?

If you have reticular veins or small varicose veins that are bothersome, foam sclerotherapy will improve your appearance. Foam sclerotherapy is also used to treat the underlying insufficiency that causes those veins and is effective for veins that have been treated before.

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Pre-Mixed Foam Sclerotherapy

Also known As: Foam Sclerotherapy.
Best For: Discomfort, heaviness, cramps, restless legs syndrome, fatigue, chronic venous insufficiency, and large varicose veins.

What Is Pre-Mixed Foam Sclerotherapy?

This newer technique is an advanced type of foam therapy that utilizes prepared foam that’s stored in a sealed canister. Some cases of air embolism with traditional foam therapy were linked to an improper combination of room air with the sclerosant. This created an embolism that travelled via veins to the lungs, hindering the oxygenation and transportation of blood. With pre-mixed solutions, the sclerosant is mixed with high concentrations of carbon dioxide and nitrogen to facilitate rapid transit and prompt deactivation. This makes pre-mixed foam arguably safer and more successful.

How Is Pre-Mixed Foam Sclerotherapy Performed?

A vein doctor identifies the troubled vein by skin exam or with ultrasound assistance, similar to other types of sclerotherapy. They will then inject the pre-mixed foam into your vein at the surface of the skin, or with ultrasound guidance for veins deeper below the surface. Rather than agitating the solution, as doctors do with foam sclerotherapy, doctors administer the pre-mixed foam that’s already primed for injection.

Pros

Pre-mixed foam sclerotherapy is quite safe and highly effective, especially for larger varicose veins that would otherwise require surgery. Excellent for recurrent vein disease, it’s a gentle way to target the most difficult veins to treat.
Pros Summary:
  • Remarkably effective
  • Helps patients avoid surgery or vein stripping
  • Great option for recurrent vein disease

Cons

Pre-mixed foam sclerotherapy is potent and requires a vein expert trained in the procedure. Insurance won’t always cover this procedure, so check with our vein center in NJ state to determine out-of-pocket costs.
Cons Summary:
  • Trained doctor required to handle the potency
  • Insurance may not cover the procedure

Is Pre-Mixed Foam a Good Option for Me?

Our vein centers can determine if your insurance plan covers this procedure. Pre-mixed foam sclerotherapy is an excellent alternative to surgery, and is often less expensive, even without coverage. It’s very effective for even the most damaged veins.

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ClariVein

Also known As: Mechanochemical Ablation.
Best For: Symptoms that include leg discomfort, heaviness, fatigue, restless legs syndrome, cramps, as well as treating venous insufficiency.

What Is ClariVein?

A rotating catheter is used to mechanically traumatize the interior lining of vein walls and deliver a sclerosant medication to the walls. This dual approach triggers the closure of diseased veins.

How Is ClariVein Performed?

After gently cleaning and numbing the injection site, your vein doctor uses ultrasound technology to direct the catheter to the appropriate vein. Once inserted, the ClariVein begins to rotate, damaging the vein’s walls while also secreting the sclerotherapy solution. The ultrasound assists in guiding the catheter throughout the vein for thorough dissolution of the problematic vein.

Pros

There is no permanent implant left behind, as with VenaSeal. ClariVein requires no tumescent anesthesia, so it doesn’t cause swelling. The small catheter accesses tortuous veins more easily than some devices.
Pros Summary:
  • Requires no tumescent anesthesia
  • No glue implant left behind
  • Adept at navigating tortuous veins

Cons

Most insurance providers don’t cover ClariVein yet. Some patients experience discomfort if a doctor has difficulty moving the catheter past valves in the vein.
Cons Summary:
  • Not covered by most major insurance companies currently
  • Potential for discomfort in certain patients

Is ClariVein Right for Me?

Patients who are allergic to the lidocaine in tumescent anesthesia should choose ClariVein over endovenous ablation. In addition, patients who don’t want the implant involved in VenaSeal might prefer ClariVein. Results and insurance coverage for this procedure vary, so ask our vein specialists in NJ state any questions you may have.

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Surgery

Also known As: Vein stripping, phlebectomy vein removal
Best For: Larger varicose veins

What Is Vein Stripping?

Surgeons will typically access the vein through an open incision. They will then use a variety of surgical tools, such as hooks, to remove the damaged vein.

How Is Vein Stripping Performed?

Identifying the diseased vein usually requires an ultrasound, particularly if the vein is deeper in the leg. The patient is then anesthetized and sent to the operating room, where the physician cuts down to the vein through layers of skin. Once the doctor sees the vein, they use tools, like hooks, to forcibly pull the vein from the body.

Pros

Surgery might be the best choice for very large and tortuous veins.
Pros Summary:
  • In limited cases, surgery is the most viable solution

Cons

Several less-invasive procedures produce fewer complications and are proven to be safer and more effective than surgery. Qualified vein doctors now avoid surgery whenever possible, viewing it as a last resort.
Cons Summary:
  • Surgery is outdated and outmatched by newer, minimally invasive techniques

Is Vein Surgery Right for Me?

Surgery is no longer a first line of treatment and should only be used when all other treatments have failed. However, some patients with blood clots or extremely tortuous veins might still benefit from vein surgery.

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Do you have questions about the vein treatments we’ve discussed?

Contact the caring doctors at our Vein Centers in Paramus, Woodland Park and Clifton, NJ. Our board-certified vein experts are highly trained in each of these procedures and will help you select the best choice for your condition.

So How Do You Know Which
Vein Treatment Option Is Best for You?

The best way to determine your ideal treatment is to meet with an experienced vein expert for a proper diagnosis. A good vein doctor will customize a treatment plan that incorporates your medical history, goals, and venous anatomy, and draw from vast technological resources. To ensure that you select a qualified doctor, look for these five characteristics of top vein centers.
1

The vein doctor spends time listening to your concerns.

1

The vein doctor spends time listening to your concerns.

Most patients expect their doctor to listen to them and are eager to explain their symptoms. In reality, many doctors don’t allow enough time for patients to speak their mind, nor do they truly listen. At our New Jersey Vein Centers, we know that patients experience things quite differently from one another, and that disease manifests differently in each patient. We’re deliberate about ascertaining both your symptom experience and your concerns so we can provide the answers you seek. We never begin treatment before addressing each of your thoughts and questions.
2

The vein center looks deeper than the surface of your skin.

2

The vein center looks deeper than the surface of your skin.

A top vein doctor uses ultrasound technology to investigate potential venous insufficiency, even if your complaints appear to be cosmetic. Trained vein physicians know that treating superficial veins is only a temporary fix, if the problem lies in deeper veins.
3

The vein doctor has ultrasound training.

3

The vein doctor has ultrasound training.

Some vein doctors rely on assistants to operate ultrasound machines. But new vein procedures require a doctor’s ultrasound guidance to administer minimally-invasive treatment. Choose doctors, like our vein specialists in NJ state, who are trained in ultrasound technology to receive the most innovative care.
4

The vein center is recognized by the IAC.

4

The vein center is recognized by the IAC.

Only the top vein centers meet the elite quality standards that gain recognition from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC). Don’t choose a vein center that hasn’t met this gold standard of safety. Our Paramus, Woodland Park and Clifton, NJ vein centers are IAC certified, providing the highest level of safety for our patients.
5

Your treatment plan is designed just for you.

5

Your treatment plan is designed just for you.

Our bodies are uniquely composed, from our fingerprints to the color of our eyes. Likewise, your venous anatomy is uniquely your own, so your doctor should treat you accordingly. Your treatment plan should be devised to align with your condition, as well as your distinct preferences. The doctors at our New Jersey Vein Centers tailor treatment to the individual, often combining several advanced technologies for optimal results. We always explain each treatment thoroughly, including the reason we chose a particular method. Our doctors love informing patients about treatments, as well as ways to prevent future vein issues.

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