Our Vein Treatments in our California Vein Clinics.

Want to know which vein treatment doctors recommend? The experts at California Vein Clinic rank and explain each method for you!
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Are you curious about spider vein or varicose vein treatment at vein clinics in California?

There are several new options available! The hard part is deciding which vein clinic and treatment to try. This article is your comprehensive guide to making those selections. The doctors at California Vein Clinic compiled everything you need to know, including what each treatment entails, who it’s best for, and what the upsides and downsides are. Find your ideal solution below.

If you’re seeking varicose or spider vein treatment, you have many more methods to choose from than the previous generation did. Minimally invasive procedures have largely displaced vein surgery, making vein treatment a far simpler process than it used to be. Patients now watch veins vanish in a matter of minutes, without large incisions, general anesthesia, or a stay in the hospital. However, these tremendous advances require specialized training, so choose a qualified vein physician. The doctors at California Vein Clinic will help you sort through the choices to select the best one for you.

Before we describe the various treatments, let’s discuss why you have those unhealthy veins. Most patients with spider veins or varicose veins also have a problem called chronic venous insufficiency. This vascular disease is characterized by blood pooling in your leg veins, which imposes pressure on the vein walls. The pooling occurs when valves within veins fail to seal tightly, resulting in reflux or stationary blood within the veins. This condition requires a vein doctor for proper resolution. California Vein Clinic’s doctors know how to detect and resolve this issue, so spider veins and varicose veins won’t keep cropping up. A cosmetic or dermatological vein facility won’t suffice if you have chronic venous insufficiency, or other vein issues like blood clots or deep vein thrombosis. The success of the vein treatments listed below hinges on who administers them.

Vein Treatment Options

Endovenous Ablation

Also Known As: Radiofrequency ablation, laser ablation, ablation

Best For: Vein symptoms like restlessness, cramps, discomfort, leg fatigue, heaviness, as well as treating venous insufficiency and large varicose veins

How Is Endovenous Ablation Defined?

An ablative procedure is defined as a removal of bodily tissue. In the case of endovenous ablation, that “removal” is actually a harmless absorption of the defective vein by the body, following its thermal destruction. The vein is not surgically extracted from the body, but eliminated by thermal energy through radiofrequency or lasers that force it to scar shut and eventually dissolve.

How Do California Vein Clinics Administer Endovenous Ablation?

The invention of endovenous ablation was a welcome change for patients and their doctors. It outperforms vein stripping surgery with significantly less risk, expense, and time spent in the doctor’s office. This minimally invasive technique begins with a numbing solution applied to the surface of your skin above the vein. Our vein doctors then place a tiny device just beneath your skin and surround the vein with tumescent anesthesia to protect the adjacent tissue from discomfort or heat. Once inside the vein, the tool directs high intensity sound waves, called radiofrequency, or lasers at the vein’s walls. This creates scar tissue which blocks blood from entering the vein. As a result, blood stops accumulating in that vein, and instead heads back to the heart via viable veins. At our California Vein Clinics, endovenous ablation is a 15-30 minute procedure during which you remain comfortable and awake. You can resume your normal routine immediately after it’s done. Spider and varicose vein clinics in San Diego and San Jose typically prefer either radiofrequency (aka: RF ablation, RF therapy, or ClosureFast) or laser (aka: EVLT) to perform ablations. Our doctors prefer RF ablation. After spending a decade conducting hundreds of ablations, we find radiofrequency is more comfortable for our patients.

Pros

If you have vein disease, radiofrequency ablation is safer and more effective than traditional surgery. Ablation also prevents the downtime associated with vein surgery. Additionally, it’s often covered by insurance. Considered highly effective and safe, it’s a top choice at California Vein Clinic.

Pros Summary:

  • Safer than vein ligation and stripping surgery
  • Treats vein disease, not just surface veins
  • Commonly covered by insurance
  • Patients aren’t hindered by downtime

Cons

Manufacturers know that ablation is an essential tool for any good vein doctor. So, several companies make ablation devices and they aren’t equally effective. You want a doctor who uses the best device and who’s also trained in how to use it. The way to determine that is to inquire about their certification, ask how many ablations they’ve performed, and read patient reviews. Since this procedure uses tumescent anesthesia, a qualified physician is essential to maximize comfort and ensure that it doesn’t enter the vein.

Cons Summary:

  • Applying tumescent anesthesia requires training
  • Devices aren’t all of the same caliber

Is Endovenous Ablation a Good Option for You?

If you have large varicose veins or venous insufficiency, consider radiofrequency ablation before vein surgery. Your insurance company will likely cover it and you’ll love how quick and simple it is. RF ablation is more comfortable than laser ablation, so our vein doctors in CA state regularly select it for many of our varicose vein patients.

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VenaSeal

Also Known As: Vein glue

Best For: Defective veins, and particularly, the venous insufficiency that causes their appearance, as well as uncomfortable symptoms

What Is the Definition of VenaSeal?

VenaSeal is described as a vein closure system that uses a specially formulated medical adhesive to seal a diseased vein. It’s new to the varicose and spider vein treatment scene, but not to the medical community. Cyanoacrylate glue has been used safely for decades for hemostasis and closing surgical wounds. This medical grade “super glue” works instantly to close malfunctioning veins.

How Does VenaSeal Close a Vein?

Our vein doctors begin this gentle procedure by numbing your skin and pinpointing the problematic vein with an ultrasound. VenaSeal is then delivered to the trouble spot with a tiny catheter. The tip of the catheter is positioned perfectly with ultrasound guidance to secrete a tiny bit of cyanoacrylate glue right where it’s needed. This adhesive polymerizes upon contact and its binding is not deterred by moisture (blood). VenaSeal permanently closes incompetent superficial veins so that blood is directed into healthy veins for enhanced circulation.

Pros

VenaSeal is a non-thermal treatment, so doctors don’t need to use tumescent anesthesia to buffer surrounding tissue from heat. This means patients don’t have the post-procedural swelling common with RF ablation or EVLT. The glue is also capable of traveling throughout venous branches to seal off more than one defective spot.

Pros Summary:

  • Vein disease treated previously might respond to VenaSeal
  • Modern solution that minimizes swelling
  • Capable of sealing several trouble spots

Cons

As with all new treatments, some insurance companies don’t cover it, and the lifelong viability of this treatment is still being studied. The adhesive hardens quickly, forming a permanent, solid implant that remains in your body. This is essential to the vein’s closure, but it doesn’t appeal to some patients. Patients with allergies might react to VenaSeal.

Cons Summary:

  • Glue hardens in the vein and remains in the body
  • Might cause an allergic reaction
  • Newness means insurance might not cover it and lifelong viability is unclear

Is VenaSeal a Good Option for You?

If you have chronic vein disease, VenaSeal offers a permanent closure of each diseased vein. While it’s not always covered by insurance, it might still be more affordable than surgery or repeat treatments that are less effective against your disease. Have our vein doctors in California assess your allergy risk before considering VenaSeal.

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Sclerotherapy

Also Known As: Saline vein injections, salt solution injections, cosmetic sclerotherapy, STS

Best For: Spider veins or smaller varicose veins

What Is the Definition of Sclerotherapy?

To “sclerose” means “to harden.” Sclerotherapy hardens a diseased vein by irritating its interior lining so that it collapses and blood can no longer pass through it. Our doctors inject a sclerosant into the vein to invoke inflammation and narrowing of the vein walls. The blood coagulates and the vein walls collapse, destroying the useless vein.

How Does California Vein Clinic Perform Sclerotherapy?

Our vein specialists use various sclerosing solutions for sclerotherapy, which come in different forms. The first type, and the most common type to treat spider veins, is a liquid sclerosant. Our doctors inject this through a tiny needle into superficial veins after numbing and cleansing the skin. For damaged veins below the surface, we use ultrasound imaging to facilitate the treatment. The injection of this irritant inflames the interior lining of the vein, such that it collapses and diminishes in both size and visibility. We offer the latest medicines for this treatment, which are more comfortable than traditional salt-water sclerosants like hypertonic saline.

Pros

Since it’s a liquid, this medicine disperses well throughout twisted veins, which is something ablation catheters cannot do. Sclerotherapy is also one of the fastest treatments for spider veins, especially those that can be injected directly at the surface. It’s a safer and more effective way to treat superficial veins than lasers, particularly for those with sensitive skin.

Pros Summary:

  • Easiest method for erasing spider veins
  • Quick procedure with no downtime for patients
  • You can go back to regular activities while wearing compression stockings for 3 – 7 days
  • Widely covered by insurance

Cons

There are several medicines used for sclerotherapy. As you might imagine, some work better than others. Choosing a board certified vein specialist for vein treatment is essential with sclerotherapy. It not only increases the odds of better medicine selection, but also better training in the technique. Since sclerosants disperse so well, you need a doctor who’s well versed in vein connections, so that they don’t accidentally inject an artery or healthy vein. Liquid sclerotherapy often requires the doctor to dilute the sclerosant with water precisely, so it’s important to choose a vein doctor with lots of practice. If not, you risk improper dosing, skin discoloration, or necrosis.

Cons Summary:

  • Doctors need experience in dosing, diluting, and vein mapping
  • Some sclerosants are less effective, so choose a renowned vein clinic in California

Is Sclerotherapy the Right Option for You?

Those with cosmetic spider vein damage and no vein disease should strongly consider sclerotherapy. Patients with chronic vein disease should also consider sclerotherapy if the tumescent anesthesia in RF ablation, or allergy to the adhesive in VenaSeal negate those options.

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Foam Sclerotherapy

Also Known As: Foamed Sclerotherapy, chemical ablation

Best For: Small or large varicose veins

What Is a Foam Sclerotherapy Treatment?

Foam sclerotherapy is an alternative to traditional sclerotherapy that’s often used for varicose veins, since they can be larger than spider veins. By agitating the liquid sclerosing solution with air, the medicine increases in volume, enabling vein doctors to fill a larger vein without increasing the dosage. The bubbly, foamy consistency makes more contact with the vein’s walls than liquid, since it displaces the blood as it moves through your veins, rather than mixing with the blood like liquids do. Vein specialists in California favor this method for larger varicosities and also for deeper veins, since ultrasounds track foam more easily than liquid.

How Does Foam Sclerotherapy Work?

Locating the troubled vein is the first step, conducted by visual exam or ultrasound imaging. Our vein doctors in CA state use two syringes to agitate a sclerosant with air.This generates foam from the detergent-like medicine, which your doctor then injects promptly, while its volume is maximized. The foam’s movement is then tracked with ultrasonography to make sure the vein is thoroughly medicated. The varicose vein swells and collapses, just like with liquid sclerotherapy.

Pros

The advantages of foam sclerotherapy include the ability to treat larger, more tortuous veins with a minimal amount of medicine. It’s particularly advantageous for those with chronic venous insufficiency, since it can also treat valve failure in deeper veins. Foam coats the inner vein walls and displaces the blood during treatment, rather than being diluted by blood like liquid medicines are.

Pros Summary:

  • Coats vein walls more thoroughly with less medicine
  • Recommended for recurrent vein diseases

Cons

Foam has the propensity to travel into perforating and deeper veins, spreading medicine throughout healthy veins. A board certified doctor trained in foam sclerotherapy is essential to prevent this complication.Our vein doctors in CA state use two syringes to agitate a sclerosant with air.

Cons Summary:

  • Foamed sclerosants require specific expertise to avoid complications
 

Is Foam Sclerotherapy My Best Option?

Both reticular veins and varicose veins are well-suited to foam sclerotherapy, particularly those at the surface of your skin, since foam travels well through these veins. It’s also a great procedure to consider if you have a recurrent vein disease.

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Pre-Mixed Foam Sclerotherapy

Also Known As: Foam sclerotherapy, ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy

Best For: Rather large and tortuous varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency, as well as symptoms including heaviness, cramping, restless legs, itchiness, and leg fatigue.

What’s the Difference Between Foam and Pre-Mixed Foam Sclerotherapy?

With foam sclerotherapy, your doctor combines a chemical (like sodium tetradecyl sulfite) with a gas (like the air from the room) to make foam. But pre-mixed foam is a ready-made combination of a chemical and a gas, which is usually a highly concentrated blend of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, rather than the surrounding air. This newer technique serves two purposes. First, it minimizes the risk of an air embolism in the vein that can happen when room air is mixed with the chemical. Second, it’s a more potent solution that moves faster through the vein, deactivating quickly to protect the patient. This solution arrives already mixed in a sealed canister that your doctor injects the treatment directly from.

How Do Vein Doctors Administer Pre-Mixed Foam Sclerotherapy?

The first steps are similar to other sclerotherapy treatments, including ultrasound location of the vein and numbing the skin’s entry point. But rather than agitating the medicine themselves, the doctors simply inject the already optimized foam. With a small needle, the vein specialist injects the powerful foam into the vein and observes its progress until the treatment is complete.

Pros

With an experienced vein doctor, pre-mixed foam sclerotherapy is an extremely effective and safe technique. It’s particularly beneficial for those with chronic vascular disease. Large varicose veins that once required surgery are now eligible for pre-mixed foam sclerotherapy instead, in most cases.

Pros Summary:

  • Safer choice for large varicose veins that would otherwise require surgery
  • Supremely powerful
  • Exceptionally effective for recurrent venous diseases

Cons

The potency of pre-mixed foam isn’t something an inexperienced provider should experiment with. Significant experience is a must for this procedure. This method is newer, so insurance might not cover it, making it a more expensive choice for some patients.

Cons Summary:

  • A highly experienced doctor is a non-negotiable
  • Costly for many whose insurance companies don’t cover it yet

Is Pre-Mixed Foam the Right Option for You?

If your insurance company supports this treatment, you should strongly consider it. It is a powerful alternative to traditional sclerotherapy and presents fewer risks and complications than surgery.

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ClariVein

Also Known As: Mechanochemical ablation, catheter sclerotherapy

Best For: Larger saphenous veins and symptoms of spider or varicose veins like heaviness, discomfort, and muscle cramps.

What Is the Definition of ClariVein?

ClariVein combines the chemical impact of sclerotherapy with the mechanical impact of a rotating catheter to destroy an unhealthy vein. This catheter traumatizes the vein walls and also secretes the sclerosant for maximum results. While sclerotherapy alone is often sufficient for smaller spider veins, the dual methods of ClariVein work well for larger or deeper veins.

How Does California Vein Clinic Use ClariVein?

Our vein doctors identify the vein they’re treating with ultrasound guidance. After cleansing and numbing the injection site, they’ll insert a small catheter tip into the vein. It begins rotating to damage the vein walls while secreting the sclerosing solution into the vein. With the assistance of ultrasonography, our doctors guide the catheter throughout the troubled vein, traumatizing it sufficiently to prompt its closure.

Pros

Unlike VenaSeal, ClariVein doesn’t leave a solid implant in your body. Since there’s no heat involved, patients receive fewer needle pricks and no tumescent anesthesia. The diminutive size of the catheter means no large incision and better access to varicose veins.

Pros Summary:

  • Doesn’t involve tumescent anesthesia
  • Doesn’t implant hardened glue in your body

Cons

Many insurance providers haven’t approved coverage of ClariVein yet. Some vein specialists report struggling to advance the catheter past certain venous valves, which results in discomfort for their patients.

Cons Summary:

  • Several insurance providers don’t cover ClariVein currently
  • If a venous valve is difficult to pass, the patient might feel discomfort

Is ClariVein Right for Me?

If you’re allergic to lidocaine, you should choose ClariVein over endovenous ablation. And if you’re opposed to glue hardening and remaining in your body, you should choose ClariVein over VenaSeal. Results vary with ClariVein and so does insurance coverage. But the team at California Vein Clinic is experienced with this technique and can also determine your insurance coverage.

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Surgery

Also Known As: Vein removal, phlebectomy, vein stripping, ligation and stripping

Best For: Large and twisted varicose veins

What Does Surgical Vein Stripping Mean?

Vein stripping removes a damaged vein through open incisions and usually requires either spinal or general anesthesia. Doctors make a cut below the vein and, typically, at additional points such as the groin, to grasp and extricate the vein from the body. Vein stripping is not considered major surgery, but it is considered invasive.

How Do Vein Surgeons Conduct Vein Surgery?

Doctors find the unhealthy vein with the assistance of ultrasound. They then administer anesthesia and cut down to where the vein is located. Sometimes, they’ll perform a ligation to tie off sections of the vein. Other times, they’ll extract the entire vein. They’ll then thread a surgical instrument up through the vein and pull it out of the body. Hooks and wires are often employed to forcefully pry the vein loose.

Pros

Some oversized or overly tortuous veins can only be treated surgically. For patients with certain conditions like a history of blood clots, surgery might be advised.

Pros Summary:

  • For a small set of patients, it’s still the best solution

Cons

Surgery is no longer among the top procedures recommended for most patients. Minimally invasive vein treatments provide more desirable experiences and outcomes for the majority of people. The cons of vein stripping usually outweigh the pros.

Cons Summary:

  • Surgical technology is now outmatched by minimally invasive techniques
  • Surgical risks and complications are greater
  • Downtime is longer and recovery is more painful

Is Vein Surgery Right for Me?

Reputable vein doctors in California won’t recommend surgery unless it’s your singular option. Generally speaking, it’s only advised for those with severe tortuosity in their veins or those with coexisting complications like blood clots. If your medical clinic suggests vein stripping, consult with our board certified vein experts who are trained in gentler methods.

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The first step in treating spider veins, varicose veins, or vein disease, is to understand your condition and your options. We hope this outline shed some light on your venous health. The next step is to visit our vein clinics in San Diego or San Jose and talk to our board certified vein specialists. We’re exceptionally qualified to provide all of the latest vein treatments.

How Do You Choose the Best California Vein Clinic Treatment?

Here are 5 things to look for in a qualified California Vein Clinic. These characteristics indicate that you’ll receive the type of care you deserve.

1

The vein clinic doesn’t take things at face value:

1

The vein clinic doesn’t take things at face value:

Many varicose veins and spider veins are easy to see, and sometimes they’re treated at the surface. But trained vein specialists know that trouble might lurk deeper in the veins. Our vein experts in California seek the cause, which is frequently chronic venous insufficiency.We view those surface veins as evidence of a leaky hose, so to speak, and we always look for the leak.
2

The vein doctor gets to know you:

2

The vein doctor gets to know you:

Many vein specialists in California are extremely rushed in their approach. Studies show the average doctor only listens to patients for 11 seconds before interrupting. But the doctors at California Vein Clinic know how ineffective, and even dangerous, that is, since essential information might be missed. In addition, it’s also disconcerting and frustrating to the patient. Count on our doctors to spend extra time listening to you and answering every single one of your questions.
3

The treatment options are customized and flexible:

3

The treatment options are customized and flexible:

Our bodies contain miles of veins that connect in ways unlike anyone else’s. What’s troubling your veins might be pressure from pregnancy, swelling from standing at your host job all day, or a blood clot or injury. Choose a doctor who treats you like the individual you are and offers alternatives to treatments you don’t want to try. The doctors at California Vein Clinic always take your lifestyle, overall health, and preferences into consideration, and frequently combine multiple methods for tailored treatment.
4

The ultrasound devices are guided by the doctor:

4

The ultrasound devices are guided by the doctor:

While some vein clinics rely on assistants for ultrasonography, modern treatments use ultrasound imaging from start to finish, so you want a doctor who knows how to use these tools. From positioning a catheter, to monitoring medicine’s progress through your vein, California Vein Clinic’s doctors are highly trained in ultrasound procedures.
5

The IAC approved the vein clinic:

5

The IAC approved the vein clinic:

Recognition by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) is the highest seal of approval for vein clinics in California. This distinction means the vein clinic’s doctors, equipment, and safety measures met or exceeded the highest standards. California Vein Clinic is proud to hold this distinction.

Are you dealing with uncomfortable circulatory symptoms or visible veins that make you self-conscious? Our Ivy League-trained vein doctors provide the relief you’re looking for in 30 minutes or less! Book your visit at our vein clinics in San Diego or San Jose, California, or find us throughout the nation in New Jersey, and New York.

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San Diego Vein Treatment Overview

Our vein doctors in San Diego are some of the top experts in venous medicine. We are constantly searching for new and novel treatment modalities. If our vein experts in San Diego feel that a new treatment is safe to use in our clinic, they add it to our options to ensure that our patients are getting the least invasive, least painful, and most effective vein treatments. After evaluating numerous treatment modalities, we consider sclerotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, venaseal, and laser vein ablation to be the best options for most vein disease.

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