What Can a Vein Clinic Treat?

A vein clinic is where you will find medical doctors who focus on treating patients with a variety of vein diseases and circulatory conditions. These conditions can cause a web-like appearance (varicose veins or spider veins), chronic leg pain, or open sores where a vein protrudes at the skin’s level.

Fortunately, most vein diseases may be treated at a vein clinic using minimally invasive methods that only require a local anesthetic. If you have any web-like markings on your legs, even minimal spider veins, it may be an early sign of vein disease.

Because vein diseases tend to be progressive, they can be risky since they can impede proper circulation. Let’s talk about some of the main conditions that are treated at a vein clinic, and where you can go to find out more about what can be done for you.

Why Should I Go to a Vein Clinic?

Some of the most common vein conditions that are treated at a vein clinic include the following:

Spider Veins

Spider veins appear thread-like on the legs, chest, face, and hands. These red or blue veins may seem like a cosmetic issue, but a malfunctioning valve function lies at the heart of it.

What happens in spider veins is that the blood, instead of flowing toward the heart, is going in the opposite direction or pooling in the vein. Veins have tiny valves that push the “used” blood toward the heart for reoxygenation and to gather nutrition; blood is more naturally pushed through the arteries every time the heart pumps, but the veins are much farther away and need the extra help of valves. But when the valves become weak, blood can pool or move backward in the vein, and they become visible if they are near the skin’s surface.

Spider veins may or may not hurt, and they are largely hereditary. Spider veins are highly treatable, and it is recommended that you see a vein doctor early on before more spider veins develop or they turn into varicose veins.

Varicose Veins

Varicose veins are larger and more pronounced versions of spider veins. They appear raised, swollen, and twisted in appearance, and they most often appear on the legs and feet. Just like with spider veins, these blue or purple veins are due to weakened vein walls and valves.

Similar to spider veins, they may or may not hurt – but for those who experience pain and discomfort, there may be underlying circulation issues as well. Treatment for varicose veins includes sclerotherapy, which is performed in a vein clinic to seal off the wall of the affected vein.

Edema

Edema is characterized by swelling of the hands, feet, and legs due to fluid trapped in the tissues. Venous insufficiency, or a weakening of the valves in the veins, is often the cause of edema. It is also common in pregnancy.

Other causes of edema include being on your feet for extended periods of time, chronic health conditions, and lifestyle habits. Edema caused by venous insufficiency may be medically addressed at a vein clinic with endovenous ablation treatments.

Venous Ulcers

For advanced vein disease that has resulted in ulcerations (open sores), vein surgery may be recommended. The vein doctor may just remove the problematic veins and reroute the blood flow.

Vein Clinic in Kansas City, MO

If you have varicose veins, spider veins, or leg pain, let the medical professionals here at Missouri Vein Specialists take care of it for you. Our team is headed by a triple-board-certified physician, Dr. Scott Darling – one of the very first doctors to be certified by the American Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine.

To request an appointment, call Missouri Vein Specialists today at (816) 792-3400 or fill out our appointment request form online now. We treat our patients like family, and we look forward to seeing you here.