Varicose veins are a very common condition in the United States and affect approximately 15 percent of men and approximately 25 percent of women.

What do Varicose Veins Look Like?

Varicose veins are the blue or purplish enlarged veins you typically see bulging out of one's leg. Any vein in your body may become varicose; however, it is important to note that varicose veins exist most often in the legs and feet. Varicose veins occur in the legs and lower extremities because standing and walking increases the pressure in the veins in the lower half of your body.

Do Varicose Veins Hurt?

A number of people do not experience any discomfort with varicose veins, however, certain people experience achiness or heavy feeling in the legs; burning, throbbing, muscle cramping and swelling in the lower legs and Itching around one or more of the veins in the legs.

Do Varicose Veins Need to be Treated?

YES!!! Why? Varicose veins can lead to blood clots in the leg that can permanently damage the vein and lead to uncorrectable symptoms for life. Blood clots can also go to the lung causing severe health risks and even death. Leg blood clots and vein damage can lead to tissue damage and difficult to heal wounds and leg ulcerations.

Varicose veins are a very common condition in the United States and affect approximately 15 percent of men and approximately 25 percent of women.

What do Varicose Veins Look Like?

Varicose veins are the blue or purplish enlarged veins you typically see bulging out of one's leg. Any vein in your body may become varicose; however, it is important to note that varicose veins exist most often in the legs and feet. Varicose veins occur in the legs and lower extremities because standing and walking increases the pressure in the veins in the lower half of your body.

Do Varicose Veins Hurt?

A number of people do not experience any discomfort with varicose veins, however, certain people experience achiness or heavy feeling in the legs; burning, throbbing, muscle cramping and swelling in the lower legs and Itching around one or more of the veins in the legs.

Do Varicose Veins Need to be Treated?

YES!!! Why? Varicose veins can lead to blood clots in the leg that can permanently damage the vein and lead to uncorrectable symptoms for life. Blood clots can also go to the lung causing severe health risks and even death. Leg blood clots and vein damage can lead to tissue damage and difficult to heal wounds and leg ulcerations.

For patients with larger varicose veins, which appeared to be more rope-like in the lower extremities, there are multiple techniques to deal with these as well.

Injection scerotherapy can be efficacious at times. Unfortunately, this requires multiple, sometimes even hundreds of injections and is not usually covered by any type of insurance carrier. There is also heater probes or laser closure techniques. These are acceptable for only one area of varicose vein, thus leaving the other varicosities to fend for themselves, Therefore, sometimes providing inadequate or non-complete treatment. These are also very costly, and can charge up to $5,000.

Traditional striping and ligation in the older surgical literature has been the mainstay of surgery for the large varicose veins with the smaller veins removed surgically as well.

This has been basically given up by the Vascular Institute of Tampa Bay, which now performs a modified, minimally invasive surgical technique.

No sutures or staples are used and the patient is able to return to work the following day, after varicose vein surgery. Only the offending veins are removed in their entirety, leaving minimal to no scar. The patients can return to their normal activities the following day.

This seems to work the best for the majority of the patients with large varicose veins and is also covered by all insurance carriers.

For patients with larger varicose veins, which appeared to be more rope-like in the lower extremities, there are multiple techniques to deal with these as well.

Injection scerotherapy can be efficacious at times. Unfortunately, this requires multiple, sometimes even hundreds of injections and is not usually covered by any type of insurance carrier. There is also heater probes or laser closure techniques. These are acceptable for only one area of varicose vein, thus leaving the other varicosities to fend for themselves, Therefore, sometimes providing inadequate or non-complete treatment. These are also very costly, and can charge up to $5,000.

Traditional striping and ligation in the older surgical literature has been the mainstay of surgery for the large varicose veins with the smaller veins removed surgically as well.

This has been basically given up by the Vascular Institute of Tampa Bay, which now performs a modified, minimally invasive surgical technique.

No sutures or staples are used and the patient is able to return to work the following day, after varicose vein surgery. Only the offending veins are removed in their entirety, leaving minimal to no scar. The patients can return to their normal activities the following day.

This seems to work the best for the majority of the patients with large varicose veins and is also covered by all insurance carriers.

Tampa office:
2809 W. Waters Ave
Tampa, FL 33614
(813) 348 - 9088

Lutz office:
19185 N. Dale Mabry Highway
Lutz, FL 33548
(813) 387-3038

Tampa office:
2809 W. Waters Ave
Tampa, FL 33614
(813) 348 - 9088

Lutz office:
19185 N. Dale Mabry Highway
Lutz, FL 33548
(813) 387-3038