At VENUS Vein Clinic in Omaha, NE, we’re passionate about helping our clients maintain optimal vein health. As we age, the ceaseless wear and tear on our blood vessels compounds. For most of us, this leads to disordered veins that need to be destroyed to reduce the risk of serious health complications. There are many ways this can be accomplished, but today, we’re highlighting venous ablation, one of our most popular disordered vein treatments.
How Does Venous Ablation Work?
Venous ablation uses radiofrequency energy to treat diseased veins. The heat emitted by the soundwave energy cauterizes the disordered veins, destroying them. When the walls of the targeted veins collapse in on themselves, blood can no longer travel through them. As a result, blood can no longer flow through them. The blood that once tried to pass through these walls is rerouted to healthier blood vessels nearby.
How Long Does This Treatment Take?
You should not anticipate this treatment taking a whole hour to complete. We can give you a good idea of how long you should expect your treatment to take when we evaluate your areas of concern. It’s hard to give a reasonable estimate prior to an initial evaluation because everyone’s situation is unique. Some people may have one or two varicose veins in their lower leg while others may have varicose veins affecting their abdomen and both of their hands.
How Effective Is This Treatment?
This treatment is extremely effective. However, results vary based on the severity of the disordered veins. Most people only need one treatment session to destroy their disordered veins completely. Nonetheless, it is not unheard of for people with many severely varicose veins to need a follow-up treatment four to six weeks after their first session.
How Long Will It Take To See My Desired Results?
Once the treated veins have collapsed in on themselves, they starve very quickly. However, it takes quite a while for the surrounding tissues to consume them. Therefore, you may be able to see your destroyed veins for several weeks or months depending on the size of the vein. Individual results vary, but you can expect a lot of your symptoms, like discomfort, to improve immediately after treatment.
You can also expect to start seeing your treated veins disappear after only one week. We welcome you to schedule a follow-up appointment a month after your first session if you’re worried that you’re not seeing enough of an improvement. You may be one of those rare cases that require a second session to destroy the vein completely.
How Long Will the Results of My Treatment Last?
The results of this treatment are considered permanent. The treated veins are consumed by nearby tissues and will never come back. However, you should be aware that it is possible to develop varicose veins after the varicose veins you have currently have been treated. This is, in part, due to most significant risk factors of varicose veins being unavoidable. For instance, varicose veins are often caused by old age and genetics.
What Risk Reduction Steps Can I Take?
While there are numerous varicose vein risk factors you can’t change, there are risk mitigation steps you can take. One such step you can take is to wear compression garments while you are pregnant. You can also get 2.5 hours of aerobic exercise weekly.
Should I Get My Veins Ablated?
If you have varicose veins, you should strongly consider getting your veins ablated. Right now, you may only be experiencing mild symptoms, like itchiness, swelling, heaviness, or pain. However, your symptoms will likely worsen the longer you go without treating your disordered veins. For instance, you may start to feel moderate or severe discomfort upon waking or after spending an hour or two sitting or standing in one place.
Venous ablation isn’t right for everyone. Some people may be a better fit for sclerotherapy or another vein treatment. If you don’t think ablation sounds like a good fit for you, it is still important that you sit down with a vein expert. Untreated varicose veins can result in such serious health complications as ulcers, deep vein thrombosis, and thrombophlebitis.
Do I Have Varicose Veins?
An evaluation with a vein expert is required to find out for sure if you have varicose veins. There is a high likelihood that your veins have become varicose if you see large, twisted, rope-like veins bulging against your skin, though. Other common signs of varicose veins include vein discoloration and localized skin discoloration. For instance, many people with varicose veins have purplish veins. They also commonly have red skin around the disordered veins.
Schedule Your Initial Consultation Now
Venous ablation treats diseased or otherwise disordered veins by harnessing the incredible power of radiofrequency energy. To find out if this is the best vein treatment for you, contact us now at VENUS Vein Clinic in Omaha, NE, to schedule your initial disordered vein evaluation. If having your veins ablated isn’t a good fit for you, we’ll discuss your personal preferences, goals, and lifestyle after reviewing your concerns to tailor a treatment plan that’s perfect for you.