Are you embarrassed to wear your swimsuit, tennis or golf attire or your favorite dress? Or are you limited in enjoying your work or time with family and friends because of the way your legs feel? If you are discouraged with the way your legs look or feel, it affects the way you live your life. It does not have to be that way!
Unsightly spider veins, bulging varicose veins and leg swelling are the most common visible complaints we hear. In more advanced stages you may notice dark, thick skin or skin breakdown, around the ankles.
Leg pain is the most common physical complaint. These physical symptoms of vein disease are often confused with ‘aging’ and other conditions leading many to suffer in silence. Common leg complaints we hear are heavy, tired achy, swelling, itching, burning and stinging, leg cramps at night and restless legs. If you have any of these symptoms, you may have underlying vein disease even if you have no visible spider veins, leg veins or swelling.
Three parts of the venous system work together to efficiently pump the blood back up your leg veins to your heart. The parts are the ‘pipes’ (veins), the ‘pump’ (the calf muscles) and one-way ‘check valves.’ Problems with one or more of these parts cause vein disease.
Defective one-way check valves in the Great Saphenous Vein (GSV) or the Short Saphenous Vein (SSV) are the most common cause of vein disease. When the valves malfunction, venous blood flow reverses, falling down the veins (reflux) and pooling in the superficial veins. This pooling of blood leads to varicose veins and the signs and symptoms of vein disease.
Prior to 2000 there were two options to treat reflux in the GSV or SSV. These options were vein stripping and liquid sclerotherapy the injection of a medication directly into the vein to scar it closed. Patients enjoyed an improved quality of life with these treatments but there was room for improvement.
In November of 1999 Dr. Harper learned about a ‘new way’ to treat venous reflux and immediately recognized it as a game changer in vein care. In early 2000, Dr. Kenneth Harper and the VSS team were the first in Georgia to perform Endovenous Thermal Ablation (Radiofrequency Closure) to treat venous reflux. Effectively replacing vein stripping and liquid sclerotherapy for patients with saphenous reflux in Georgia.
Since 2000 VSS has led the way in innovative care performing over 9000 Radiofrequency Closure procedures along with introducing many other advances in vein diagnosis and treatment. When you choose Vein Specialists of the South you are choosing a leader in vein care advances.
Endovenous Thermal Ablation uses ‘heat’ energy to treat GSV and SSV reflux. It’s an office-based Walk in. Walk out.® procedure with ‘little to no downtime’. A mild anti-anxiety medication or nitrous oxide are available up request.
Under ultrasound guidance a tiny catheter is inserted into the unhealthy saphenous vein. After local anesthesia the catheter is activated and slowly withdrawn, treating the ‘bad’ vein. The heat energy ‘welds’ or ‘shrink wraps’ the vein getting rid of the reflux. Currently there are two thermal based energy sources used for venous ablation: Radiofrequency Closure (RF) and Endovenous Laser Therapy (EVLT).
Dr. Harper was right, Endovenous Thermal Ablation has proven to be a fantastic alternative to vein stripping, which involves removing the entire saphenous vein through large incisions. After over 9000 endovenous ablations at VSS our patients have enjoyed the long term success of this game changing technology.
It’s just 3 easy steps…
If you have the signs and symptoms of vein disease you may be a good candidate. Your journey starts with a comprehensive vein consultation. The VSS team listens to your concerns, performs a thorough evaluation including a detailed venous ultrasound, presents a customized treatment plan for you and answers your questions.
Let us serve as your guide to Better Veins for Life®. The best treatment and results for your unique needs can be determined with our VSS Better Veins for Life® Plan.
Your Endovenous Thermal Ablation is an office-based Walk in. Walk out® procedure using local anesthesia and ultrasound guidance to precisely deliver the laser or radiofrequency energy to the diseased vein. Don’t worry if you’re nervous or anxious, a mild oral sedative may be provided. The thermal or heat energy ‘welds’ or ‘’shrink wraps’ the vein wall. Your body reroutes the venous blood to healthy veins improving the venous efficiency.
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Many patients report immediate improvement in their leg tired and achy legs with their endovenous ablation. For others, the healing may be gradual over several weeks. Follow up ultrasound of the treated vein at 3-7 days post-procedure shows the saphenous vein walls to be collapsed without reflux in over 98% of patients.
At VSS we prefer to treat your visible bulging varicose veins with microambulatory phlebectomy at the time of the saphenous vein reflux ablation. If you are a good candidate for this combined treatment option your bulging veins are gone immediately!
In cases where delayed treatment of the bulging veins is necessary because of other medical conditions, the varicose veins may become less prominent with symptoms diminishing over weeks to months. For persistent symptomatic varicose veins, micro ambulatory may be performed later if your medical condition allows.
Since 1997, Vein Specialists of the South has helped thousands of patients like you with varicose veins, spider veins, and leg swelling. Dr. Kenneth Harper is a leader in vein health is a Diplomat of the American Board of Surgery and the American Vein and Lymphatic Medicine. Terri Harper, MSN, FNP-C, is a renowned educator in the field of cosmetic sclerotherapy. Our dedicated nurse injectors have been trained by the best.
At Vein Specialists of the South, we have a passion for veins – big and small. We’ve helped over 30,000 people get Better Veins for Life®. Call today to schedule an appointment with the VSS team, where ‘Veins Aren’t Just One Thing We Do, They Are the Only Thing We Do.®’
Meet with your dedicated vein care specialists to get started on your personalized comprehensive treatment plan.
It’s not just one thing we do, it’s the only thing we do.®
556 3rd Street, Suite A
Macon, Georgia 31201
4851 Bill Gardner Pkwy,
Locust Grove, GA 30248
151 South Houston Lake Rd
Warner Robins, Georgia 31088
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