1. A Vein Center Has Doctors Who Studied Vein Medicine
You might assume that anyone offering vein treatment studied vein medicine. However, this is untrue. Some dermatological and cosmetic specialists offer superficial vein treatments, but they studied other fields. This means they can’t treat large veins, deep veins, or the vein disease that causes most surface damage.
So, their solutions are only temporary, since vein disease will produce additional vein damage until it’s addressed. They also can’t treat veins that require surgery or conduct ultrasound-guided procedures. Book an appointment at our accredited vein center in New Jersey instead. Our Harvard-trained vein doctors specialize in vein medicine, so we provide safe, effective, and permanent vein treatment.
2. Vein Centers Treat Deep Veins and Large Blood Vessels
Unlike cosmetic centers for veins, medical vein centers can treat large veins, deep veins, and complicated blood vessels. The surface laser treatments and sclerotherapy injections at cosmetic centers can’t treat large varicose veins. These require an endovenous thermal approach, so the skin isn’t damaged by excess heat. Or, they require a foam sclerosant, rotating catheter, or cyanoacrylate adhesive, all of which might need ultrasound guidance for positioning. If you have bulging varicose veins or large spider veins, you need a vein center for effective vein care.
3. At a Vein Center, Vein Care Is Covered by Insurance
Facilities that only use cosmetic vein treatments rarely accept insurance. And when they do, insurance companies rarely cover their procedures. Since they don’t specialize in veins, and they don’t have the ultrasound equipment to prove medical necessity for your procedure, it will likely be deemed elective. Our vein center offers FDA-approved vein treatments that insurance covers.
In addition, our vein doctors have the ultrasound training to produce images that indicate why you need treatment. Spider veins and varicose veins are rarely just a cosmetic issue. They often stem from valve failure in deeper veins, and our vein doctors can prove that to your insurance company. Our insurance specialists determine your coverage prior to treatment, so you have no unexpected expenses. For most of our patients, the procedure is covered completely.
4. Vein Centers Avoid Unnecessary Vascular Surgery
Vascular surgery was once a common treatment for varicose veins. Today, it’s rarely the treatment of choice. Vein medicine has outpaced nearly all other fields in technological advances. Now, there are numerous ways to treat veins without surgery. These include sclerotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, vein adhesives, endovenous laser ablation, and mechanochemical ablation. If you go to a surgical center or a cosmetic center, you might be referred to surgery you don’t need. Choose a minimally invasive vein treatment center to avoid unnecessary surgery.
5. Some Vein Centers Have Vascular Surgeons If Needed
While most patients don’t need vein stripping surgery, a small percentage do. Choose a vein center with vein medicine specialists, as well as vascular surgeons who are trained in minimally invasive procedures. These surgeons will avoid surgery, when possible, because they have other tools at their disposal. And if you do need vein stripping, you’ll be in good hands.
6. Vein Centers Pump Blood Back to the Heart
The three main types of blood vessels are arteries, capillaries, and veins. Arteries pump blood from the heart to cells throughout the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients. Capillaries transfer blood from arteries to veins. Veins pump blood back to the heart to retrieve more oxygen.
For this to work correctly, veins are lined with valves that close once blood passes through, keeping blood on an upward trajectory. If a valve fails, blood flows in reverse, elevating endovenous pressure. This creates the varicose veins and spider veins at the surface. Vein centers correct this problem by closing off the spider vein or varicose vein, and also eliminating the broken valve.
If you don’t take that second step, new varicose veins and spider veins can form. Vein doctors also reroute blood from the closed vein into veins nearby that can pump blood back to the heart. In a single appointment, a vein center erases unsightly vein damage and restores your circulation. Cosmetic vein centers can’t do that.
7. Vein Centers Identify and Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis
Deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot in a deep vein. It’s potentially dangerous for two reasons. First, it inhibits blood flow. Second, if it breaks loose, it can travel through your blood stream to your lungs and block one of your vital arteries. This is called a pulmonary embolism. This is one of the most important reasons to choose a vein doctor over another practitioner.
Our vein doctors can use vein mapping to locate any blood clots before treatment. They’re adept at choosing the safest treatment for patients with existing blood clots. These patients are among the few who may need vascular surgery. Vein specialists are also skilled preventing new blood clots, which can occur with improper vein treatments. If you have a blood clot, it’s important to have it identified and treated, so choose doctors who specialize in vein medicine.
8. Vein Centers Eliminate Recovery Time
If you have unnecessary surgery, you’ll also have an unnecessarily lengthy recovery. The latest, minimally invasive vein treatments have no recovery time. Our vein doctors perform treatments in 15-30 minutes, and patients can walk immediately afterward. Most patients drive themselves home, or even go back to work. Our procedures don’t require general anesthesia, and there are no large incisions. So, the healing process is very fast, and you can enjoy your usual routine.
9. Vein Centers Provide Insight on Compression Stockings
If you have spider veins or varicose veins, you might assume compression stockings are your first step. But this isn’t the case for everyone. Compression stockings can improve symptoms for some patients, but many see no improvement. Compression therapy cannot eliminate damaged veins or vein disease, so it’s a bit like using throat lozenges for strep throat. You might feel a little better, but ultimately, you’ll probably need treatment for total relief.
In addition, some patients develop skin issues with vein disease, like venous ulcerations, venous stasis dermatitis, hyperpigmentation, and bleeding that’s difficult to control. Compression stockings can’t treat these symptoms, and they might aggravate them instead.
Certain patients are advised against compression stockings if they have high blood pressure, heart disease, pregnancy, blood clots, or other conditions. It’s an individual decision that requires a vein doctor’s expertise. Don’t buy compression stockings off the shelf at a store. Book an appointment for a vein doctor’s insight and to obtain the right size for adequate compression.
10. Vein Centers Are Often Part of a Larger Health System
Veins have an essential job. They must return blood to the heart to collect oxygen for distribution. They are strong, but they grow weaker over time, particularly with age, obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and hormone changes. They’re essential to all of the systems in the body, and they’re susceptible in every type of surgery or major procedure you have done, not just vascular ones.
So, choose a vein center that’s part of a larger health system, like our vein centers in New Jersey. We offer four convenient locations, and our doctors are board certified in vein medicine and additional fields to provide comprehensive care. We’re part of a medical group that treats pain and other issues as well. Join us for compassionate, exceptional vein care that protects your overall health.