If you are suffering from achy swollen and tired feeling legs, and have enlarged ropey bulging varicose veins, then seeing a vein specialist or vein center for laser treatment may be just what you need. While old-fashioned vein stripping has fallen by the wayside there are a few different procedures for treating and removing varicose veins.
The use of laser is one of them and is actually very easy for patients and the results are outstanding. When done in the Schulman Vein And Laser Centers of New York City and Long Island, patients require only local anesthesia into the area of the leg near the veins to be treated and all patients are able to walk out of the office immediately and drive themselves home right afterwards.
When the endo venous laser therapy (intravenous laser treatment) is done, patients are at rest lying on an exam table. Dr. Schulman likes to start the procedure by telling patients to ‘pick a topic’ as patients most often speak to the doctor and the staff during the procedure. It is also done under sterile conditions so that Dr. Schulman and the staff are wearing surgical gown, and sterile gloves, hats and masks.
A small needle is inserted into the vein to be lasered. As a patient you would feel that small needle but it’s no worse then any other intravenous shot you have ever had before. Once the vein needle is in the correct location, a laser fiber is inserted into the vein through that needle. Just as you don’t feel blood flowing inside your veins, you also don’t feel the laser fiber inside the vein. It is also so thin that it truly is painless. Once the fiber is introduced into the enlarged vein, a Doppler ultrasound machine is used to make sure the laser is correctly positioned. It is positioned so as to best shut the vein for as long an area as possible.
Once the correct positioning has occurred then the local anesthesia into the leg around the vein is given. Ironically the anesthesia is often the least enjoyable part of the procedure. When it he first shot is given into the leg, there is no anesthesia and the patients feel the needle. Once the second shot is given there is already some anesthesia inside the leg so it gets easier and less sensitive with each injection. Generally when lasering leg veins about a dozen shots are given and by the time the final few injections are given patients often don’t even feel them.
Once the leg and vein are fully anestizized the laser fiber is turned on and the laser energy acts on the inside of the vein wall to cause it to scar shut onto itself. We often tell patients it’s like squeezing down on a drinking straw. The two opposing sides of the veins are brought into contact with each other and the vein will scar itself shut.
After the laser has been fully withdrawn from the leg two ace bandage like wraps are applied to the leg. The entire laser procedure takes about 25 to 30 minutes. At the schulman Vein And Laser Center all laser patients are given Dr. Schulman’s personal cell phone number and all are called in follow-up both that day and the following day.
As the anesthesia is also very effective there is almost never a need for post laser treatment painkillers.
If you have varicose veins and would like to see a board certified vein specialist we suggest calling Schulman Vein And Laser Center for a free no obligation vein screening.