You do not have to live with bothersome varicose veins and spider veins. Your vascular surgeon can remove these as well as treat other issues that involve the circulatory system.
When patients experience pain, swelling, and/or itchiness around pronounced, discolored veins, a vein doctor can devise a treatment plan which will improve both the patient’s health and physical appearance. A vascular surgeon can also address deeper and more potentially harmful circulatory issues.
Let’s talk about some of those conditions, how a vein surgeon can treat these issues, and where you can go in Tampa to see a world-class vein surgeon who can help you stay healthy and look spectacular.
Treatment of Varicose Veins
Veins are the blood vessels that carry “used” blood back to the heart and lungs after delivering oxygen and nutrients to the cells throughout the body. Each vein, regardless of length and width, has small valves which help to prevent blood from flowing in the wrong direction and pooling. If one or more of these valves fail in a vein that is close to the skin’s surface, varicose veins and (their smaller counterpart) spider veins can result.
Varicose veins are characterized by:
- Bluish, ropelike, bulging veins that are just below the skin
- Leg cramps, achiness, and pain
- Fatigue
- Itchy skin in the area of the enlarged veins
- Discolored areas
- Restless legs at night
Over time, varicose veins can multiply. If a varicose vein breaks through the skin, it causes a skin ulcer and bleeding. This warrants medical treatment by a vein doctor.
Medical treatment for varicose veins include surgical ligation (phlebectomy), radiofrequency ablation (which heats and closes the vein), and endovenous laser treatments (which utilize laser light to seal the varicose vein). Your vein surgeon may also recommend and administer simpler interventions to prevent varicose veins or to treat them.
Treatment of Spider Veins
Spider veins are the smaller, finer cousins of varicose veins. Usually arranged in a network resembling a spider web just under the skin, these tiny veins are thready, purple to red in color, and may appear on the legs and even the face. Sometimes physical stress causes spider veins, such as sneezing too hard or repeatedly lifting heavy objects. For most people, there is a strong genetic component to their development.
Patients can see a vein specialist to eliminate spider veins through an in-office procedure called sclerotherapy. This involves the vein doctor injecting a medical-grade irritant into the vein, thereby closing the tiny vein and enabling it to fade away for good.
Treating Deep Vein Thrombosis
A vein that is not superficial, not near the skin’s surface, but develops a blood clot is deemed to have a serious medical problem called deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The issue is that the clot can break off and move straight to the lungs, and cause a life-threatening pulmonary embolism to occur.
An embolism is a medical emergency that requires quick intervention in a hospital emergency room. It is best to have a vein surgeon address this issue before it develops into a potentially lethal problem.
Symptoms include redness, swelling, or warmth of the skin near the area of the DVT. It can also cause a “charley horse” feeling of cramping and pain in the area because the vein is deep in the muscle.
Your vein surgeon can treat a DVT through blood thinners (anticoagulants) or clot busters (thrombolytic therapy medication). The clot can also be removed via surgery or through a catheter. Alternatively, your vein doctor may recommend having a filter inserted into the vein in order to prevent clots (embolisms) from moving to the lungs.
Treating May-Thurner Syndrome
May-Thurner syndrome involves compression of the iliac vein in the left leg. The symptoms of this compression include redness, pain, swelling, and tenderness in the left leg or left foot.
Blood thinners and/or installation of a vein-opening stent or filter can help to reduce the chances of May-Thurner syndrome developing into deep vein thrombosis.
Vein Surgeon in Tampa Bay and Palm Harbor
Dr. Edward Mackay is a board-certified vein surgeon who is passionate about the vascular health of his patients here in the greater Tampa area. He offers both surgical and nonsurgical treatments for circulatory issues of all kinds, and he teaches other healthcare providers about the many techniques he has pioneered.
To book a consultation with Dr. Mackay, contact our office today at (727) 781-5652, or fill out our online form to request an appointment. We have three offices for your convenience: St. Petersburg, Largo, and Palm Harbor. We look forward to serving you!
