Sounds pretty unbelievable, doesn’t it?

If you have varicose veins and you’ve been trying to “live with them” for some time, that’s exactly what several of the top Phoenix vein specialists like Dr. Karen Garby, Dr. Jeff Braxton and Dr. Hassan Makki, at Comprehensive Integrated Care can do with a comprehensive treatment plan. If you have reached the point where you’re tired of varicose veins ruining your quality of life and you want to be rid of them forever, we can help you accomplish that. Want to know how? Read this article.

Varicose vein removal really can improve your quality of life

If you are like many of the patients we see at our vein clinics, one of the things that would most improve your quality of life would be seeing your reflection in the mirror after vein treatment. Or what about being able to walk your kids to school? You can’t comfortably do that now because your swollen achy legs make it hard to do anything but complain “My legs hurt!” Well, the purpose of this article is to tell you that these things are possible.

Perhaps you’ve been postponing seeking varicose vein treatment for some time. You’ve tried to ignore your varicose veins by wearing long pants and dark stockings and limiting your activities because your legs will hurt. Chances are you’ve begun to realize that this doesn’t work. Left untreated, varicose veins don’t go away or get better on their own. They tend to get worse.

And “worse” tends to manifest in ways you never expected. If you’re like most people who’ve tried to ignore their swollen and discolored veins, you’ve begun to realize that they do affect your health.

How varicose veins affect both your physical and mental health

Have you noticed how tired and weak your legs feel? And that they feel that way, all the time? Have you noticed that you’ve become more inactive, and have started making excuses to avoid walking or dancing or playing sports? These are the physical side effects of having varicose veins.

There is also the cosmetic aspect of these swollen veins, and how that makes you feel mentally. Have you noticed that your first reaction when you look into the mirror every morning is to feel depressed about the way your varicose veins make you look? Having varicose veins has been identified as a major cause of low self-esteem. Being unable to comfortably wear shorts or bathing suits because you’re ashamed of how your legs look takes its toll over time. It can leave you with diminished self-confidence. Over time, this can sometimes escalate to feelings of isolation and depression.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could eliminate the cause of all this?

At CiC, we can make these symptoms go away, by eliminating the diseased veins that cause them. The minimally-invasive treatments we offer at our vein centers are performed on an outpatient basis. This means that the techniques are not surgeries.

Varicose vein removal at CiC vein centers involve no hospitals, no deep incisions, no general anesthesia (because none is needed). And if you have only a few varicose veins, the procedures may be completed in less than an hour.

Yes, it can take time before all signs of varicose veins disappear from the surface of your skin. But the relief from the side effects that these diseased veins have on your physical health can be life changing. Patients often report that their energy levels increase, and that the pain, discomfort, and tiredness they’ve been living with for months is now gone. Best of all, every time you look into your mirror you will see fewer and fewer traces of the old ugly veins. In a very short time you won’t see them at all – your legs will be restored to their youthful beauty.

Think about this, and if it appeals to you, give us a call at 888-377-7122

We understand that “We can change your life” sounds as if we’re talking about magic, but we’re not. We’re talking about the current state of modern varicose vein treatment.

So give the best vein doctors in Phoenix a call. We’ll be happy to explain our varicose vein treatment options to you and help you get started feeling better fast.

The post Top Phoenix Vein Specialists: Improving Your Quality of Life Could Be As Simple As a 1-Hour Procedure appeared first on Comprehensive Integrated Care.

You have endured unattractive varicose veins and the side effects they cause, such as constantly swollen, painful, aching legs. You’re tired of making excuses to avoid being seen in a bathing suit or shorts. And, you’re tired of feeling bad about yourself every time you look into the mirror. In the words of the movie Network, you’re “mad as hell and you’re not going to take it any more!” You’re ready to try to find the best varicose vein treatment near you.

Congratulations! As varicose vein treatment specialists, we applaud your decision to do something about your varicose veins. At CiC, we want to do everything we can to help you follow through on getting the treatment you need. In this article, we’ll start by suggesting what your next steps should be.

Step 1: Get a venous health screening and get your facts straight

If you haven’t really consulted a varicose vein specialist about your varicose veins, your first step should be to do so. Call the best vein doctors in the Valley and schedule an appointment for a venous health screening.

The venous health screening takes only about an hour, it is non-invasive and completely painless. A screening can tell you exactly how serious your varicose veins are. This is the first thing you need to know when considering how best to treat them. Mild cases, for example, can often be treated using conservative treatment to control symptoms such as exercise, compression stockings, and lifestyle changes. More serious cases – especially if your personal goal is to eliminate the ugly, swollen veins – may require more aggressive treatment.

Step 2: Ask your CiC vein doctor to explain the treatment options

Your goal in this step should be to learn about and consider ALL of the varicose vein treatment options available to you. You want to learn as much as you can about how varicose veins are treated these days.

For example, you may have heard from a friend or colleague who had their varicose veins treated with techniques such as sclerotherapy. Sclerotherapy is a wonderful technique, it is minimally-invasive and requires no hospitalization or anesthesia.

But don’t stop researching there. There may be other forms of treatment that might be more appropriate for you, given your overall health and the extent of your vein disease. For example, many clients at our CiC vein clinics with larger varicose veins have found that Venaseal, radiofrequency ablation or endovenous laser ablation were more appropriate treatment options for them.

During the follow-up visits to your initial screening, you should ask your doctor about all of these options. If you want to learn more before then, visit the Vein Care section of our website beforehand.

Step 3: Decide which treatment is best, and follow through on your decision

Consult with one of our CiC vein experts such as Dr. Jeff Braxton, Dr. Karen Garby, or Dr. Michael Makki to determine the best treatment approach, and work with your doctors to create a personalized treatment plan.

More than one appointment may be necessary. However, you can rest assured that each of these appointments will be comfortable and efficient. The techniques involve minimally invasive treatments of varicose veins. It might take some weeks before the last remaining traces of them are gone. However they will be gone, and once a varicose vein has been removed, it doesn’t return, although some people do develop new varicose veins in the future.

Step 1 is still the most important, however. You’ve made your decision…now act on it. Pick up your telephone and dial 888-377-7122 or go online to schedule a Venous Health Screening and take that first step towards becoming free from your varicose veins today!

The post Ready to Seek Treatment for Your Vein Problems? Here’s How to Find the Best Varicose Vein Treatment Near You appeared first on Comprehensive Integrated Care.

People come into CiC complaining of chronic leg pain with swollen and achy legs, wondering what causes these symptoms. A CiC vein specialist can perform a comprehensive Venous Health Screening, which includes a complete physical examination, as well as use Doppler ultrasound to look beneath the surface of the skin. In many cases, we find that the cause of their symptoms is a condition known as chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). CVI leads to abnormal or malfunctioning valves within the veins, that can lead to varicose veins.

“When we tell the patients this,” says Dr. Garby, “the phrase we hear over and over is, But…I’m too young to have varicose veins!”

At CiC, we hear this phrase from patients in their 40’s and 50’s, but also from much younger patients. And we understand their disbelief, because in some cases their varicose veins aren’t even visible on the surface of the skin, at least not yet. A thorough ultrasound analysis can clearly identify the presence of diseased veins beneath the skin surface, and that’s how we diagnose their condition.

Because this IS such a common response, we’ve decided to discuss the question of age and how it relates to varicose veins. We think that after reading this blog, you’ll be able to better understand who gets varicose veins. You’ll also learn why they get them and at what ages they get them. We hope this information will help you to seek and find the best varicose vein treatment near you.

No, you’re NOT too young to get varicose veins

The belief that varicose veins only happen to older people is widespread, but it is false. It’s true that most cases of varicose veins occur among older people. Statistically, over half of women over 65 have them, but fewer than 1 in 20 women under 24 have them. But…”1 in 20″ is still a large number, and we have seen cases of people developing varicose veins as early as their teens and early 20’s.

And no, they’re not just a “women’s problem” – men get varicose veins, too

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), varicose veins affect nearly 17% of men in the United States. Many of these men are developing varicose veins earlier in life, as well.

What people of all ages need to know about what causes varicose veins

So what causes varicose veins? In this section, we’ll talk about the things that increase a person’s risk of developing vein disease and varicose veins.

Your age IS an important factor to consider when assessing your vein disease risk, but it’s not the most important factor. That would probably be heredity. If both of your parents had varicose veins, you have a 90% chance of developing them yourself. If only one of your parents had them, you have a 60% chance of getting them if you’re female, and a 20% chance if you’re male.

Being overweight and/or not getting enough exercise also greatly increases your risk of developing varicose veins. Due to hormonal reasons, women have a higher varicose vein risk than men do. This risk increases after pregnancy and can worsen with every additional pregnancy. The risk is also increased if they use birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy.

These factors significantly increase your risk of developing varicose veins after the age of 60. However, they also increase that risk when you’re much younger. So no, even if you’re in your 30’s and 40’s, you’re not too young to have varicose veins.

Whatever your age, here’s how to find the best vein disease treatment in Tempe

So what do you DO about this? If you realize that because of heredity or lifestyle choices you’re at risk for developing varicose veins, what do you do about it?

The answer to this question is simple – give the vein experts at Comprehensive Integrated Care (CiC) a call at 888-377-7122 or go online to arrange a vein health screening with one of our vascular specialists like Dr. Karen Garby. Your first priority should be to find out exactly what your level of varicose vein risk actually IS.

If you know you have varicose veins, what steps should you take to find the best varicose vein treatment specialists near you? Again, we recommend that you give us a call at CiC, because our doctors are widely respected for providing the best vein disease treatment in the Valley. We specialize in minimally-invasive, non-surgical treatment procedures. These procedures not only remove the pain and discomfort of varicose veins, but remove the swollen veins themselves. These varicose vein removal treatments are so gentle that you can literally have your varicose veins removed on your lunch hour, and then walk out and return to work or home.

“So – however old you are – don’t feel bad about varicose veins,” says Dr. Garby.  And don’t feel that you have to “live with them.” You don’t. Modern varicose vein treatment options can eliminate varicose veins permanently, and at the same time eliminate the symptoms they often cause, such as leg pain and swelling. Give us a call or go online to schedule, and allow the best vein doctors in Phoenix to explain your treatment options to you. You’ll be glad you did!

The post I’m Too Young to Have Varicose Veins – How Do I Find the Best Varicose Vein Treatment Near Me? appeared first on Comprehensive Integrated Care.

If you are old enough to remember polio and smallpox, you might consider the elimination of those diseases important. Or you might consider organ transplants and modern heart surgery important.

In this article, vein specialists from the best vascular clinics in Tempe and Sun City will discuss two medical breakthroughs that have changed modern medicine drastically. However, they are less known by the general public. The breakthroughs we as vascular specialists have in mind are the tremendous improvements in the field of medical imaging and visualization. Specifically, the invention of minimally-invasive endovenous therapy, within the specialty of interventional radiology.

Modern medical imaging has made x-rays look old-fashioned

Don’t get us wrong…as doctors we know that the invention of x-rays in 1895 was a really big deal. It was a monumental breakthrough in the field of medicine. It was the first time that doctors could “look inside” the bodies of their patients without surgically opening them up. But x-rays, as important as they were to the progress of medicine, had some significant drawbacks. X-ray equipment itself is bulky and expensive and the radiation it produces can be dangerous if overused.

These drawbacks helped to make the invention of medical ultrasound and the field of diagnostic sonography the huge breakthroughs they have become. Ultrasound is a safe, inexpensive and portable technology used to “look inside” patients’ bodies to visualize and diagnose disease conditions. Instead of relying on x-ray radiation, an ultrasound device uses high-frequency sound. It beams these painless, harmless sound waves through the skin, and then records what happens to them as they bounce off of bones, organs, and tissue. A computer then analyzes these sound waves when they bounce back, “decoding” them to create a “map” of what is happening under the patient’s skin.

Since it was introduced, ultrasound has become a fundamental part of modern medicine. At CiC, our top Tempe and Sun City vein specialists use advanced Doppler ultrasound to not only see the structure of our patients’ veins, but the flow of blood within them. This enables us to detect blockages such as blood clots. It also allows us to easily and painlessly diagnose diseases such as chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). CVI causes blood to flow back into the veins and pool there, leading to varicose veins.

The other breakthrough is interventional radiology – the science of minimally-invasive surgery

As doctors, we know that traditional invasive surgery is important. There are still many disease conditions that require it. But invasive surgery comes with risks. Large incisions can result in scarring, and recovering from them can require days or even weeks. Plus, the surgeries themselves must be performed in a hospital and under general anesthesia, which always involves some degree of risk.

The invention of portable ultrasound devices enabled surgeons to invent new ways of treating their patients’ disease without the need for invasive surgery. Instead of making large incisions, interventional radiologists insert small needles or catheters directly into a vein through a small puncture. Using ultrasound, they can then precisely guide the catheter into place inside the vein, to the exact location of a blockage or failure. Once it is in position, they can inject medicines to close a diseased varicose vein and eliminate it.

At CiC, we use these state-of-the-art techniques to provide vein disease treatment that can radically improve your life

Thanks to these two medical breakthroughs, modern vein disease treatment is fast and painless. Most of the procedures we perform can be completed in less than hour on an outpatient basis, in the comfort of our Tempe or Sun City vein clinics. CiC’s varicose vein treatment specialists can eliminate a patient’s swollen veins on their lunch hour. Our patients walk in with vein disease, and walk out without it. Now THAT is what we call a medical breakthrough!

If you would like us to explain more about these breakthrough medical procedures and what they can do for you, give us a call at 888-377-7122 or go online to set up a consultation and get the treatment process started. You’ll be glad you did.

The post The Best Vascular Clinic in Tempe and Sun City Explain Why Vein Disease Treatments Are Among the Decade’s Best Medical Breakthroughs appeared first on Comprehensive Integrated Care.

Many of our patients don’t realize this. The fact that they can walk into our CiC offices, have their varicose veins eliminated in minutes, and then walk out and return to work or home is something they take for granted. They assume that varicose vein treatment has always been this fast, effective, and painless.

But it hasn’t. In this article, the vascular experts at Comprehensive Integrated Care (CiC) explain what “treating varicose veins” used to be like. Then we’ll talk about what it is today. We think that when you understand how much vein treatment has improved in just a few years, you’ll better appreciate the care you receive at CiC.

What varicose vein removal was like a few decades ago

Most women (and men) who had varicose veins pretty much had to live with them. Conservative treatment such as wearing support stockings could help to minimize the symptoms, but couldn’t make the swollen veins go away. One of the only treatments that could remove varicose veins permanently was called “vein stripping.” And, yes, it was often as grueling as it sounds. A surgeon had to make incisions along the length of the diseased veins, and then literally scrape them out with a scalpel. Naturally, this had to be done in a hospital and under general anesthesia. As you can imagine, recovery from this procedure was long and painful. Also, the incisions often left scars that were as unattractive as the varicose veins had been.

Relax – modern varicose vein treatment at our CiC Tempe and Sun City locations isn’t anything like this

Among the advances in medicine that have been made since the age of “vein stripping,” two additional breakthroughs changed the nature of venous medicine forever. The first was the invention of ultrasound. Ultrasound gave doctors an inexpensive, portable technology to visualize diseased veins without breaking the skin to see them. This made possible a whole new way of diagnosing vein disease.

The second advance was the specialty of Interventional Radiology (IR). IR allows vascular doctors to treat varicose veins in a minimally-invasive manner. Instead of making incisions in the skin to expose the diseased veins, vein doctors can insert a tiny needle or catheter directly into the veins. They then guide it into place using ultrasound and use a number of techniques to seal the veins and close them permanently.

The advantages of this approach are obvious. Minimally-invasive procedures are so painless that in most cases only local anesthetics are needed. This means they can be performed in the comfort of your Tempe or Sun City vein clinics, with no need to go to a hospital. The procedures are so gentle that they require almost no “recovery time.” Most patients literally walk in, have their varicose veins treated in less than an hour, and walk out.

Modern varicose vein treatment options work better, too

Because there are no incisions, only a pin-prick, there is no scarring. Once the diseased veins are closed, they shrink, are absorbed into surrounding tissue, and disappear. Modern varicose vein removal is so effective that it has close to a 100% success rate.

Here are some of the treatment options we specialize in

At Comprehensive Integrated Care, vascular doctors like Dr. Karen Garby, Dr. Jeff Braxton, Dr James McEown and Dr Michael Makki are among Arizona’s most respected vascular specialists. They have years of experience performing a number of cutting-edge, IR-based varicose vein treatment options.

We’ll describe some of these procedures below, including links that will allow you to read more about them on our website if you want more information:

• Sclerotherapy. This technique is used to treat visible spider veins. With this procedure, we insert a very fine needle into the vein and inject a medication that causes the vein to close. The closed vein is then gradually absorbed by the body until all traces of the veins on the surface of the skin disappear. More than one session may be required.
• Radiofrequency Ablation. This procedure treats the underlying cause of bulging varicose veins. Using ultrasound, a catheter is inserted into the malfunctioning vein and radiofrequency energy is used to heat the vein, causing it to close. The blood is re-routed to normal, healthy veins and symptoms improve within days. 
• Endovenous Laser Ablation. Similar to radiofrequency ablation, a laser fiber is inserted into the malfunctioning vein. Laser energy is used to heat the vein, causing it to close. 
• Medical Adhesive (Like Super Glue). Finally, we are specialists in the use of the latest technique called Venaseal that uses a medical adhesive to close the malfunctioning vein. Benefits of this approach are that the glue sets within minutes, and there is no need for the heat associated with other types of treatment plus there is no need to wear compression stockings afterward.

If you want to learn more about these state-of-the-art varicose vein treatment options in Tempe or Sun City, give our specialists a call at 888-377-7122. Or go online on our CiC website to schedule an appointment. Our talented team of vein experts are happy to assist you.

The post Doctors from the Best Vascular Clinic in Tempe and Sun City Discuss the Variety of Modern Varicose Vein Treatments appeared first on Comprehensive Integrated Care.

The post The Top Five Questions about Varicose Veins, Answered by the Top Vein Specialists in Tempe appeared first on Comprehensive Integrated Care.

As varicose vein specialists in Tempe and Sun City, we have to tell you that the short answer to this question is “Yes.” But the longer, more complete answer is more complicated. It is a mix of both good news and bad news:

• Good News. If your legs and ankles are free from varicose veins before you become pregnant, chances are good that they’ll remain that way. 60-70% of pregnant women give birth without them occurring.
• Bad News. On the other hand, varicose veins do occur during pregnancy in 30-40% of women. That’s a pretty large percentage.
• Good News. Most of the visible varicose veins that appear during pregnancy go away naturally, within three months of giving birth.
• Bad News. If you develop varicose veins during your first pregnancy, the odds are that you will also develop them again during later pregnancies or see them persist between pregnancies.
• Good News. If you do develop varicose veins, the vascular experts at Comprehensive Integrated Care (CiC) can guide you on how to treat them effectively, both during pregnancy (with conservative methods like compression hose and healthy eating) as well as afterwards. Modern varicose vein treatment with CiC is gentle, safe, and doesn’t even require you to go to a hospital.

Why are varicose veins more prevalent during pregnancy?

Blame nature. The volume of blood in your veins increases when you are pregnant. This puts additional pressure on the vein walls, causing them to weaken. At the same time, your body is flooded with hormones that cause the veins to expand and the weight of the baby puts direct pressure on the largest vein in the body, called the vena cava. This vena cava distributes blood to all the other veins in your body, so there can be a “domino effect” of increased internal pressure on smaller veins in the legs and ankles. All of these factors increase your likelihood of developing varicose veins.

Should I seek treatment if I develop varicose veins when pregnant?

If you experience negative symptoms associated with the varicose veins, it’s a good idea to consult with a varicose vein expert at one of our CiC locations in Tempe and Sun City. Such symptoms can include leg pain, muscle cramps, swollen achy legs, skin itchiness near the affected veins, or restless leg syndrome (feeling of creepy crawlies in the legs).

If you have varicose veins and experience symptoms like this, CiC vein specialists can tell you whether or not you need treatment with a Vein Health Screening. Varicose veins are rarely considered a medical danger. In many cases you can minimize any discomfort by watching your weight, exercising regularly, elevating your legs, and wearing compression stockings. If you’re pregnant and don’t have varicose veins, your CiC doctors can recommend things that can reduce your risk of getting them.

If you develop varicose veins and they don’t go away after you give birth, more good news is that you don’t have to wait until you are finished having children to consider vein removal. In fact, having them removed may be helpful in preventing a recurrence of vein disease during future pregnancies.

So whether you are pregnant or just considering it, give our experts a call at 888-377-7122 or go online if you have any additional questions. Our talented team of vein specialists at our Tempe and Sun City locations are happy to answer them.

The post Doctors from the Best Vein Clinics in Tempe and Sun City Discuss Varicose Veins in Pregnancy appeared first on Comprehensive Integrated Care.

Speaking as experienced Sun City vein doctors, we have to tell you that it’s not likely that your varicose veins will “get better on their own.” It’s much more likely they’ll get worse.

Varicose veins are the surface symptoms of a deeper, underlying vein disease. And that vein disease is progressive. That means if the disease is not treated, it has very predictable stages, as the disease progresses and the symptoms get worse. In this blog, we’ll discuss the progressive nature of vein disease. We’ll focus on the type that causes varicose veins, chronic venous insufficiency, or CVI.

What is chronic venous insufficiency?

CVI occurs when the tiny, one-way valves that control the flow of blood through your veins become damaged. In normal veins, these valves open to allow blood to flow through on its way to the heart, and then close again. When these valves become “leaky,” they allow blood to flow back into the veins and collect there. This is what causes these veins to become enlarged and take on the bluish-purple color of deoxygenated blood that you can see on the surface of the skin as spider veins and varicose veins. This is just the first stage of CVI, however.

The six most common stages of CVI (chronic venous insufficiency)

Although each case is slightly different, the following six sets of symptoms appear often enough and in enough patients that we can safely categorize them as reflecting predictable “stages” of the disease.

• Stage one – spider veins. These small, reddish-purple veins – visible on the legs, ankles, neck, face, and other areas – are not necessarily related to varicose veins, but they are caused by the same underlying CVI. They are more common in women than in men.
• Stage two – enlarged, ropy varicose veins. These swollen veins are in many cases “stage one” of the disease, because as noted they are not necessarily preceded by spider veins. This is the stage at which people often first become aware that they have a vein disease. The swollen veins may be accompanied by itching, burning, or numbness along the veins themselves, and by tired, weak, or achy legs. This is the best stage at which to treat them.
• Stage three – edema (swelling), but without skin changes. In this stage, swelling of the legs and ankles increases because CVI has impaired the circulatory system’s ability to reabsorb fluid. Elevation of the limbs may help, but will not cure the disease or reduce the swelling much.
• Stage four – skin changes and discoloration. As the disease progresses, venous congestion and poor circulation can lead to changes in skin color and texture. The skin on your legs can become reddish-brown or white in color, and take on a more leathery texture that leaves it brittle and prone to injury.
• Stage five – skin changes with healed ulceration. In this stage, scratches or injuries to the toughened skin may heal with treatment, often leaving scars.
• Stage six – skin changes with active ulceration. In this final stage of CVI, injuries to the skin and leg ulcers refuse to heal even with treatment, and can leave your legs literally covered with bleeding, open sores.

What can you do to prevent your varicose veins from getting worse?

Have them treated, and as early as possible. As noted above under stage two, this is the point at which varicose vein treatment in Sun City is easiest. In some cases, symptoms at this stage can be successfully managed with conservative treatments such as diet, exercise, and the use of compression stockings.

If you allow the disease to progress to higher stages, it can still be treated by varicose vein specialists in Sun City, but it may require more aggressive treatments such as sclerotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, laser therapy orVenaSeal™. To find out what stage your vein disease is in and which treatment options are applicable, give our experts a call at 888-377-7122 or go online to schedule an appointment. Our talented team of vein experts is happy to assist you.

The post Sun City Vein Doctors Explain the Stages of Vein Disease, and Why You Want To Seek Early Treatment appeared first on Comprehensive Integrated Care.

There are many possible causes of chronic leg pain and swollen, achy legs, and it’s important to determine what’s causing you to experience these symptoms. Some of these causes are transitory, and the pain can go away naturally. But if it doesn’t go away, the cause of the pain may be vascular in nature.

If you have varicose veins that you can see, they may be the cause of the pain and swelling. A vein exam that takes less than an hour to complete can tell you how serious they are, and whether they require treatment.

But there are other types of vascular disorders that cause leg pain and swelling, and some of them are very serious, and in some cases, potentially fatal. That’s why the best Sun City vein specialists recommend that you get an ultrasound exam if you regularly experience leg pain. In this article, we’ll present several reasons why we recommend this.

First, not all varicose veins or vascular problems are visible

The only varicose veins you can see on your legs are the ones that are superficial, meaning that they are close to the surface of the skin. You won’t be able to see deeper varicose veins, even large ones, if they are deeper, covered by layers of fatty tissue and muscle. But even non-visible varicose veins can cause leg pain and swelling. An ultrasound exam can detect these “hidden” varicose veins and determine how serious they are and how to best treat them.

This is especially true if your vascular specialists use “gold standard” Doppler ultrasound. This advanced technology allows your doctors to visualize the veins beneath the skin. What’s more, they can also see the blood flowing through the veins. Doppler ultrasound enables us to easily detect signs of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). CVI is a condition that disrupts circulation and causes blood to “pool” in the veins, causing them to swell.

Ultrasound exams are painless, and can determine within just a few minutes whether you have varicose veins or not. It can detect even the ones that aren’t visible. More important, ultrasound allows us to determine how serious the varicose veins are. Then we can recommend the right treatment options.

Second, it’s not just varicose veins that can be invisible to the naked eye

If you’re experiencing leg pain and swelling, one of the other problems that might be causing these symptoms is deep vein thrombosis, or DVT. This condition is caused when blood clots form in the deep veins of the leg. DVT is much more serious than varicose veins. If one of these blood clots breaks loose and travels through the veins to your lungs, it can cause a pulmonary embolism (PE).

60,000 to 100,000 Americans die every year from DVT/PE, so one of the first things we as leg pain doctors in Sun City do during an ultrasound exam is to scan for blood clots. If we find them, we can recommend treatment. But even if we don’t, once DVT is excluded as a potential cause of your leg pain, we can check for venous insufficiency and make treatment recommendations for that if we detect it.

Third, these conditions are treatable, but only if you know about them

The most important reason you should give us a call at Comprehensive Integrated Care and schedule an ultrasound checkup is that neither varicose veins nor DVT “get better on their own.” Most of the time, in fact, they get worse.

The sooner you find out what’s causing your leg pain and swollen, achy legs, the sooner you can seek vein disease treatment near you and make the pain go away. Modern vein disease treatment is fast, painless, and minimally invasive. Treatments usually don’t take more than an hour to complete, and they can be performed in the comfort of our CiC offices. The treatments require almost no “recovery time” because they are so gentle there is nothing to recover from.

Best of all, modern vein disease treatment works. Whatever the nature of your vascular disorder, CiC circulation experts can recommend treatments that eliminate your symptoms and get you back on your feet quickly, no longer bothered by constant leg pain and swelling. Even better, if your pain is caused by varicose veins, we can eliminate them, too. Imagine not having to see those ugly, swollen veins in your mirror ever again.

So we urge you to give our experts a call at 888-377-7122 or go online to schedule an appointment. The best vascular specialists in Sun City are waiting to help you.

The post Best Sun City Vein Specialists: Why You Should Have Your Veins Assessed with an Ultrasound Scan appeared first on Comprehensive Integrated Care.

In this article, Dr. Jeff Braxton and Dr. David Lopresti, two of the best Sun City vein doctors on our staff at Comprehensive Integrated Care, help you understand the differences between these two conditions. This will help you to make the best decisions possible on how to seek the best vein disease treatment near you.

One of the first things to look for to tell the difference between varicose veins and spider veins is the size of the vein

Spider veins tend to be very small and fine, less than 1 millimeter in diameter. They may, in fact, be so small that they are difficult to see when they first appear. They stretch for only a few inches before branching off. They are typically red or purple in color, and typically do not protrude above the surface of the skin.

Varicose veins, on the other hand, are much larger, both in terms of length and width. They are typically 4 to 5 millimeters in diameter, blue in color, and they tend to protrude above the surface of the skin.

Additional things to consider are how the veins are shaped, and where they are located

Spider veins form branching patterns that look similar to a spider web or the roots of a tree. They tend to clump together in web-like clusters (thus the name), but sometimes form “nests” that resemble a bruise. Spider veins usually form on the legs, especially behind the knee. However, they also may appear on the neck, face, ankles, and other areas of the body.

Varicose veins do not form webs or clumps, but they do typically bulge out of the skin in twisted, ropy patterns. They primarily appear on the legs, ankles, and feet. When these bulging veins first appear, they feel soft to the touch. As the disease progresses they may become hard and tender.

Spider veins and varicose veins are both types of vein disease

Both of these conditions are caused by the reflux (backwards) flow of blood through the veins. Both are symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). CVI causes the tiny, one-way valves in the veins to malfunction, fail to close properly, and become “leaky.” When this happens, blood flows back into the veins and pools there, causing them to swell.

There are also differences in how spider veins and varicose veins affect your overall health

In most cases, spider veins are considered simply an aesthetic problem, and pose few health risks. While their unsightly appearance may cause self-consciousness, they do not have a major impact on your overall level of health.

Varicose veins, on the other hand, are often associated with more serious problems. Left untreated, they are more likely to cause symptoms such as pain, chronic weakness or tiredness, leg swelling, and changes to the texture of the skin covering them. Some people experience considerable pain as a result of their varicose veins. This pain is often dull and throbbing (as opposed to sharp). It becomes worse if you sit or stand in the same position for long periods. This can result in chronically swollen, achy legs, and can make it extremely difficult to walk or exercise.

If left untreated, varicose veins can progress to advanced stages with even more serious symptoms. Blood pooling in the veins can lead to thinning, color change, and texture change of the skin. This can lead to changes in skin color and texture. In extreme cases, it might result in bleeding leg ulcers. Sluggish blood flow can also raise your risk for blood clots, including the potentially dangerous type of clot known as deep vein thrombosis.

The differences in how varicose veins and spider veins are treated

Naturally, there are differences in varicose vein treatment and spider vein treatment as well. Our Sun City vein doctors treat both conditions in a minimally invasive manner. However, we use the procedures that are most effective at addressing each problem. For example, we often treat small, fine spider veins with sclerotherapy, the injection of a chemical agent that causes the vein walls to seal shut. On the other hand, we may treat larger varicose veins with endovenous laser treatment or radiofrequency ablation. These procedures use heat or high-frequency energy to seal shut larger veins, redirecting blood flow and eliminating pressure.

At Comprehensive Integrated Care, we focus on finding the most appropriate form of treatment for your individual vein problems. Whether you’re suffering from spider veins, varicose veins, or both, we can diagnose and treat the problem.

While these two forms of vein disease are different, they are similar in that both can be treated quickly, easily, and without discomfort. If you’re ready to take the next step in treating your vein disease, get in touch with our Sun City vein clinic at 888-377-7122. Or, go online on this website to schedule an appointment. The best vascular specialists in Arizona are waiting to assist you.

The post Spider Veins vs. Varicose Veins – the Best Sun City Vein Doctors Explain How to Recognize the Difference appeared first on Comprehensive Integrated Care.