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What Is the Best Spider and Varicose Vein Treatment Available on Long Island?

The vein doctors at our vein centers in Long Island list the top spider and varicose vein treatments

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Do you have questions about vein treatment? Are you wondering about the cost, the discomfort, or the downtime?

Our Long Island Vein Centers offer fast, affordable, gentle procedures that eliminate those concerns. This article describes each treatment in detail, so you can find the best fit and learn which procedures to avoid. We’ll help you make the right choice for safe and swift results.

Vein treatment is vastly different than it was when your parents sought treatment. No other medical field has seen the progress venous medicine has in recent decades. Chief among those advancements is minimally invasive technology. Veins that used to require several large incisions, stitches, general anesthesia, and hospitalization, are now treated with tiny needles, adhesives, or radiofrequency in an outpatient setting. Different patients require different vein treatments, and there are several to choose from. Our vein doctors in Long Island are here to eliminate any confusion by explaining what each treatment entails. With this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn which vein treatments are right for you, and which vein center in Long Island should perform them.

We’ll begin by explaining why vein damage occurs. Spider veins and varicose veins are quite common, and so is the chronic venous insufficiency that typically creates them. Our legs have veins near the surface of the skin (saphenous) and also deeper veins, both of which carry blood upward. Sometimes, a valve in a vein fails to close, so the blood stands still or begins moving in the opposite direction. This builds pressure within the vein walls, and over time, the vein walls weaken and fail to circulate blood efficiently. The veins either become enlarged and twisted (varicose veins), or they leak small amounts of blood out in different directions (spider veins). This vein damage is often seen at the skin’s surface in your saphenous veins. But simply treating the superficial damage is inadequate if you have venous insufficiency. Our vein doctors in Long Island look for this disease and treat it directly, so you stop developing defective veins.

Long Island Vein Center Treatment Options

Endovenous
Ablation

Also known As: Ablation, Radiofrequency Ablation, Laser Ablation
Best For: Large varicose veins, vein symptoms including discomfort, heaviness, leg fatigue, restless legs, cramps, and treating venous insufficiency

What Does Endovenous Ablation Do?

Thermal energy is used in ablative procedures to heat a vein’s walls, scarring it shut. Since broken valves let blood move the wrong way, this procedure closes off veins with defective valves. This releases the build-up of pressure in veins and forces blood in the right direction.

How Is Endovenous Ablation Performed?

Ablation begins with numbing your skin where the vein doctor will insert a device. This tiny tool is used to surround your vein with a protective tumescent anesthesia that numbs and guards adjacent tissue from the heat aimed at that vein. The vein specialist then directs either sound waves, known as radiofrequency, or laser-derived heat at the vein walls. This causes the vein to scar shut, and eventually be absorbed harmlessly by the body. Now, blood can only move in the right direction, since the errant pathway is gone. This technique replaces surgical procedures with several advantages, including the 15-30 minutes it takes to complete and the immediate recovery. Different vein centers in Long Island use different types of ablation; the main difference being how the heat is derived (ie: laser vs. radiofrequency). Our vein centers in Long Island favor radiofrequency, because it’s more comfortable for patients. Our doctors have performed this technique for over a decade and consider it a top treatment for spider and varicose veins.

Pros

The advantages of ablative procedures include the safety profile and convenience. Patients have the ability to resume normal life immediately. Procedures are often covered by insurance, since it’s a long-proven technique. Radiofrequency ablation presents less risk than vein stripping surgery, and it’s remarkably effective, making it a favorite among patients and vein doctors.
Pros Summary:
  • Much safer than surgery
  • Excellent, prompt results
  • Insurance covers most ablations
  • Patients can go right back to work

Cons

The primary concern with endovenous ablation is that there are multiple devices on the market and many vein specialists that perform ablations without board certification or sufficient experience. The tumescent anesthesia used in endovenous ablation must be applied with precision to avoid pain or additional injections. Long Island Vein Centers is a fully accredited facility with doctors who’ve performed countless ablations. Our expertise keeps you comfortable throughout the procedure, so visit our vein center to avoid complications.
Cons Summary:
  • Devices vary in efficacy
  • Providers can cause pain if they aren’t trained

Is Endovenous Ablation Right for You?

Are you interested in this technique? Good news– most people are great candidates for ablation. Our vein center accepts all major insurance plans, so this one is likely an affordable option for you. We choose RF over laser ablation, for its superior comfort, which we’ll explain thoroughly at your visit. Vein resolution is just moments away with radiofrequency ablation.

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VenaSeal

Also known As: Vein adhesive
Best For: Chronic vein disease and symptoms that accompany spider veins or varicose veins, like discomfort, fatigue, restlessness, itchiness, heaviness, and muscle cramps

What Is a VenaSeal Treatment?

Much like it sounds, VenaSeal seals your vein shut. It differs from other treatments in that it uses a medical adhesive called cyanoacrylate glue, rather than thermal energy. It’s a new application, introduced by Medtronic, but the concept is not new. These glues have been used safely for decades in other procedures, making them a welcome addition to the field of venous medicine.

How Do Long Island Vein Centers’ Doctors Use VenaSeal?

Like all effective vein treatments, this one begins with identifying the troubled vein, often through ultrasound. Our vein specialists numb the spot where a catheter is inserted to deliver the glue. With ultrasound guidance, the doctor makes sure the tip of the catheter is placed precisely where they want it, so that only the diseased vein receives the adhesive. VenaSeal is slowly delivered into the faulty vein, causing it to glue itself together. Now, blood begins flowing toward the heart, rather than regressing or remaining in the leg vein.

Pros

VenaSeal won’t leave you with swelling, since there’s no tumescent anesthesia in this procedure. Another advantage of this treatment is that glue can travel into multiple diseased branches, closing several with one application. That’s something endovenous ablation can’t do.
Pros Summary:
  • New and innovative technology
  • Good option for veins subjected to previous treatments
  • No swelling
  • Potentially treats several venous branches at once

Cons

No one knows yet what the long-term viability and implications of VenaSeal are, since it was introduced just a few years ago. Some patients are allergic to the glue and others aren’t sure they want hardened glue to remain in their body. While some insurance companies cover VenaSeal, others aren’t on board yet.
Cons Summary:
  • Long-term impact undetermined
  • Many insurance companies don’t currently cover it
  • Leaves a glue implant in the body
  • Allergic reaction is possible

Is VenaSeal Right for Me?

VenaSeal is a promising solution for patients with chronic vein disease. It’s a better alternative for those who’ve already treated their veins with other methods. VenaSeal is not advised without determining whether you are allergic to any of the ingredients. Ask Long Island Vein Centers if your insurance covers VenaSeal so you understand the cost before treatment.

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Sclerotherapy

Also known As: Vein injections, saline injections, STS, salt solution injections, sclerosant injections, cosmetic sclerotherapy
Best For: All sizes of spider veins and smaller varicose veins

What Is a Sclerotherapy Treatment?

Considered the top treatment for spider veins, sclerotherapy uses medicines, called sclerosants, to aggravate unhealthy veins’ walls so that they collapse. Sclerosants are administered by injection into spider veins through the surface of your skin, and also into small varicose veins.

How Is Sclerotherapy Performed at LI Vein Centers?

Our vein specialists are all uniquely trained in ultrasound-guided imaging, so they locate the vein precisely prior to administering sclerotherapy.

With a small needle, our vein doctors in Long Island go just beneath the surface of the skin to eradicate superficial veins, or use ultrasonography to direct medicine into deeper veins.The sclerosing solution irritates the vein lining so it collapses and no longer provides a faulty pathway for blood. With our advanced technology, we can watch the medicine do its job and ensure total closure. Different sclerosants may be used, but our vein doctors use the newer, gentler medicines that don’t cause the discomfort of older solutions like hypertonic saline. Choose our cutting edge vein centers for the latest sclerotherapy techniques.

Pros

Its liquid state helps sclerotherapy flow through the twists and turns of tortuous veins. Some procedures, like ablation, are better for straighter veins, but sclerosants navigate distorted veins easily. Sclerotherapy is particularly efficient for surface veins that doctors can see through the skin and inject instantly. With properly trained vein specialists, sclerotherapy is a better choice than lasers for spider veins.
Pros Summary:
  • Nothing works better for spider veins
  • More agile than the catheters used in other treatments
  • Patients can go right back to work

Cons

As sclerotherapy gained popularity, many companies began manufacturing sclerosants. They are not equally priced, nor are they equally effective. Good vein doctors in Long Island use the best medicines on the market. Other vein centers might opt for inferior products and might not be trained to perform sclerotherapy correctly. One risk is an improper dilution of sclerosants with sterile water. The effects of that include over-dosing, discoloration of skin, and discomfort. If a vein center injects your artery rather than your vein, you could also develop necrosis. Sclerotherapy is an excellent choice, but it also requires an excellent vein doctor, like the team at Long Island Vein Centers.
Cons Summary:
  • Physician experience is a must
  • Some sclerosing solutions are inferior
  • Proper dosing and precise placement are essential

Is Sclerotherapy Right for You?

If you have spider veins that you want removed for cosmetic reasons, sclerotherapy is perfect for you. If you have underlying vein disease, sclerotherapy might also work well, particularly if you aren’t eligible for VenaSeal or radiofrequency ablation.

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Foam Sclerotherapy

Also known As: Foamed sclerotherapy, chemical ablation, vein injections
Best For: Varicose veins of all sizes and reticular veins

What Is the Definition of Foam Sclerotherapy?

Foam therapy serves the same purpose as traditional sclerotherapy, however there are some distinct differences. Sclerosants are essentially detergents that can be agitated to create foam.

Our vein doctors in Long Island use foam sclerotherapy for veins that are larger or tougher to navigate, because foam coats the walls of the vein better, putting more medicine in direct contact with the vein lining.It also requires less medicine to fill a bigger vein, since agitating the solution increases its volume. Foam reduces the amount of medicine needed and is also easier to track with ultrasound. Treatment of difficult veins is simplified by foam sclerotherapy.

How Vein Centers in Long Island Conduct Foam Sclerotherapy

Ultrasound devices are often required for doctors to administer foam sclerotherapy. Our vein specialists locate the malfunctioning vein visually at the surface, or with ultrasonography if it’s a little deeper. They then prepare the foam on the spot by rapidly passing the medicine between two syringes to mix it with air. Agitating the liquid just before injection maximizes its volume and performance. Ultrasound observation allows our doctors to see when the foam has completed its task and closed off the unhealthy vein.

Pros

If your veins are tortuous or difficult to reach with a catheter, foam can get the job done. Foam is favorable over liquid sclerosants for large veins that would require more medicine in liquid form. If you have chronic or recurrent venous disease, foam is a great option to consider, since it keeps the dosage lower.
Pros Summary:
  • Fills and coats larger veins better
  • Requires less medicine
  • Accesses tortuous areas
  • Advised for recurrent vein disease

Cons

If you’ve watched foam bubbles form on soap, you’ve seen how they grow and disperse. Foam sclerotherapy has that same capability, which is why it’s great for large veins. But at the hands of an untrained doctor, foam can spread in the wrong direction, through connecting (perforating) veins, into your deeper veins. This might damage healthy veins. Our vein doctors in Long Island always assess your vein connections prior to treatment. Each patient’s vein pathways are unique. So, choose a doctor who locates perforating veins first.
Cons Summary:
  • Requires greater expertise
  • Vein doctors without ultrasound training aren’t advised
  • Locating perforating veins first is crucial

Is Foam Sclerotherapy Right for Me?

Patients with visible varicose veins or reticular veins (smaller than varicose veins, but similar formation) are great candidates for foam sclerotherapy, which can minimize both their visibility and the disease that causes them. Have other treatments failed on your veins? You’re also a good candidate for this treatment, since it’s an efficient way to deliver medicine to larger, more complicated veins.

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Pre-Mixed Foam Sclerotherapy

Also known As: Foam injections, foam sclerotherapy
Best For: Alleviating venous insufficiency symptoms like restlessness, cramping, aching, and heaviness, as well as destroying large varicose veins

What Is the Pre-Mixed Version of Foam Sclerotherapy?

This new application of sclerosant foam seeks to eliminate “user error” with foam mixed at a vein center. In rare cases, foam mixed improperly by a provider causes an air embolism, or gas bubble, to travel through the veins to the lungs. Pre-mixed foam arrives in a sealed container, ready for injection, so no air from the surrounding environment enters the bloodstream. This mixture is not only preventative against embolisms, but also packed with extra nitrogen and carbon dioxide so that it travels and deactivates expediently. Early studies indicate it might be safer than regular foam for patients with certain medical conditions.

How Does Long Island Vein Center Administer Pre-Mixed Foam?

Pre-mixed foam eliminates the agitation step of foam sclerotherapy. But it doesn’t skip the need for accurate vein assessment and precise placement of the needle. Through either visual exam or ultrasound scanning, your vein specialist will find the defective vessel and then numb the point of injection on your skin. The medical foam is then directed precisely into the vein, straight from the container it’s stored in, to minimize risk of embolism.

Pros

Pre-mixed foam is a safer form of sclerotherapy for many patients. It’s highly effective against vein disease and veins that are hard to treat. Since pre-mixed foam is so agile and potent, it’s a great alternative to surgery for complex vein issues.
Pros Summary:
  • Remarkably effective and more potent
  • Safer than surgery for patients with large varicosities
  • Great treatment for chronic vein disease

Cons

This is the most potent form of sclerotherapy, so a physician’s expertise is crucial. It’s newer to the vein treatment world, so insurance might not cover it. The doctors at Long Island Vein Centers are highly experienced with this technique and will determine your coverage before treatment.
Cons Summary:
  • Requires exact needle placement 
  • Potency demands expertise
  • Insurance may not cover it and it’s expensive

Is Pre-Mixed Foam Therapy Right for Me?

Contact Long Island Vein Centers so our insurance specialists can see if you’re covered for this procedure.

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ClariVein

Also known As: Mechanochemical ablation
Best For: Venous insufficiency and recurrent symptoms of leg fatigue, discomfort, restless legs, leg cramps, or heaviness

What is a ClariVein Procedure?

ClariVein destroys damaged veins with a two-pronged approach. First, it traumatizes the vein mechanically; and second, it uses chemicals to irritate the vein for maximum impact. Both tactics are completed by a specialty infusion catheter which rotates to physically destroy the vein, and then secretes medicine to chemically destroy it. Together, these methods close the defective vein so that blood no longer collects to form varicose veins or leaks out as new spider veins.

How Do Long Island Vein Centers Perform ClariVein?

Once the entry point is cleansed, your vein doctor finds the diseased vein with an ultrasound. They then numb your skin and insert a tiny catheter into the vein needing treatment. It begins rotating to break the vein down, and then it releases a sclerosant to further destroy the vein. The small, nimble catheter, paired with ultrasound guidance, lets your doctor treat the entire length of the vein without surgically stripping it from your body.

Pros

ClariVein doesn’t use the tumescent anesthesia that ablative procedures do, so it causes less swelling. It also doesn’t leave any substances in your body the way that adhesive treatments like VenaSeal do. The tiny catheter can reach tight twists in varicose veins.
Pros Summary:
  • Doesn’t cause swelling like procedures with tumescent anesthesia
  • Doesn’t leave any adhesive substances behind

Cons

Occasionally, ClariVein catheters are difficult to push past venous valves, resulting in discomfort. Additionally, ClariVein isn’t covered by many insurance companies, so it’s often more expensive than sclerotherapy or RF ablation.
Cons Summary:
  • Many insurance plans don’t include it
  • Uncomfortable if a vein valve is difficult to pass

Is ClariVein the Right Choice for Me?

The tumescent anesthesia used in RF ablation contains lidocaine, which is an allergen for some patients. If you fall in this category, consider ClariVein instead. In addition, if you don’t want glue to remain in your body, like it does with VenaSeal, ClariVein might be right for you. Results vary, as does insurance coverage, so check with our team regarding coverage.

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Surgery

Also known As: Vein ligation, vein stripping, vein removal, phlebectomy
Best For: The largest, most tortuous varicose veins

What Is Vein Surgery?

Vein stripping, a traditional surgical procedure for varicose veins, removes the entire vein through multiple open incisions. Vein doctors use various techniques like pulling the vein with a hook, or looping a wire around it, to take the vein out of your body.

How Is Vein Stripping Surgery Performed?

Typically, vein doctors find the defective vein with ultrasound scans and then administer general or spinal anesthesia. Surgery is conducted in an operating room, where vein surgeons cut down through the skin to pull the vein out of the body. Sometimes, this requires several incisions in the leg and groin area to fully extract the vein. This procedure is more invasive and a more forceful way to eliminate veins.

Pros

Sometimes surgery is the best choice for patients with severe tortuosity or a history of blood clots. Our vein doctors in Long Island can determine whether you need vein stripping surgery, rather than minimally invasive procedures.
Pros Summary:
  • For a select group of patients, surgery is the best alternative

Cons

Surgery requires anesthesia, downtime, and sometimes, a hospital stay. It’s too invasive for most patients who would respond better to gentler options. Minimally invasive treatments produce fewer complications and are safer, faster, and more comfortable than surgery. Choose the innovative doctors at our vein centers on the north shore and south shore of Long Island because they don’t consider surgery a first line of vein treatment.
Cons Summary:
  • Surgery has a higher risk of complications 
  • It’s more invasive and requires more downtime
  • It’s now surpassed by minimally invasive procedures

Is Vein Surgery the Best Choice for Me?

Most patients are better served by less invasive procedures. At Long Island Vein Centers, surgery is only recommended in rare cases for patients with blood clots or extremely twisted veins, or those whose veins are resistant to other treatments.

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Would you like to learn more about treatment options at our vein centers in Long Island? We’re happy to answer your questions. Contact the team at any of our North Shore, South Shore, or Hamptons locations to speak with a board-certified doctor. We offer the top vein solutions in Suffolk County and Nassau County, as well as nationwide.

Which Long Island Vein Center has the Best Doctor for You?

The right vein treatment starts with choosing the right vein doctor. It’s essential to choose a qualified vein specialist, not a dermatologist or esthetician. Here are 5 attributes of a great vein center.
1

The vein center achieved accreditation

1

The vein center achieved accreditation

The Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC), which recognizes the top vein centers in the nation, only accredits those who voluntarily complete a thorough assessment of their doctors, equipment, and practices, and very few pass the test. Long Island Vein Centers are among the elite facilities regarded as exceptional.
2

The vein treatment plan feels right for you

2

The vein treatment plan feels right for you

Some vein centers use the same treatment approach for each patient that walks through the door. But your veins are unique, and so are the symptoms and concerns you experience. Our Long Island Vein Centers customize a solution based on your circumstances, even combining treatments at times for best results. Your treatment plan should be made just for you, and should also feel right to you, not causing any uncertainty. This is only possible with vein doctors who listen to you, like the caring experts at Long Island Vein Centers.
3

The vein doctor makes you feel heard

3

The vein doctor makes you feel heard

Have you ever left a doctor’s office feeling more confused than informed? Many vein specialists in Long Island have to hurry through appointments, which means your questions don’t get answered. Our vein centers take a different approach, building more time into each visit so we can thoroughly listen. Not only that, we’re always available by phone or text, in case you forget to ask us anything during your visit.
4

The vein center employs ultrasonography

4

The vein center employs ultrasonography

Some veins are visible at the surface, but the cause might lie deeper beneath your skin. Cosmetic treatment of veins that stem from vein disease doesn’t alleviate the problem. Faulty valves in deeper veins will keep producing spider veins and varicose veins until they’re addressed. Our vein specialists in Long Island investigate with ultrasound technology to find the actual problem.
5

The vein doctors are ultrasound pros

5

The vein doctors are ultrasound pros

While some vein centers in Long Island use assistants to operate the ultrasound device, today’s treatments don’t just require pre-procedural or post-procedural images. Catheters and needles are now aided by ultrasound throughout the entire procedure. Choose vein doctors in Long Island that are fully trained to utilize ultrasound devices.

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