Varicose Veins Specialist

Florida Hearts

Board Certified Cardiologist located in Ocala, FL & Chiefland, FL

If you have varicose veins on your legs, you might gravitate toward long pants to conceal them. At Florida Hearts in Chiefland, The Villages, and Ocala, Florida, Ravindra Kolaventy, MD, FACC, and the team treat varicose veins and the symptoms that come with them, like aching or cramps, with injectable sclerosants in a procedure called sclerotherapy. To book a consultation for varicose vein treatment, call the nearest office, or book an appointment online today.

Varicose Veins Q & A

What are varicose veins?

Varicose veins typically appear on the lower halves of your legs and are large, engorged blood vessels that rise above the surface level of your skin. They develop when veins near the skin fill with blood and become dilated as a result. Usually, they’re blue, purple, or red in color.

While varicose veins don’t always cause any difficulties beyond a change in your legs’ appearance, they can cause soreness or achiness in some cases. If you’re prone to varicose veins, you might feel as if your legs are particularly heavy. Another possible complication is venous ulcers, which can cause bleeding and aren’t quick to heal.

What causes varicose veins?

The veins in your legs use a unique system to carry blood upward against gravity and back to your heart. They contain numerous one-way valves that open and close to stop blood from flowing back downward.

Over time and due to various factors, these valves can weaken and become less effective. As a result, your blood pools in the veins and causes them to expand. On average, you’re more likely to get varicose veins if you:

Are overweight or obese
Are pregnant
Are in menopause
Are 50 or older
Often stand for long periods of time
Have family members with the condition

If you have varicose veins, your Florida Hearts provider examines your legs while you’re sitting and standing. They may also use ultrasound imaging or a venogram X-ray imaging procedure to assess the blood flow in your legs.

When should I seek treatment for varicose veins?

Seeking treatment for varicose veins isn’t always a necessity. There are a few steps you can take at home in an attempt to minimize your varicose veins, like losing weight, wearing loose clothing, and using compression stockings to promote better upward blood flow.

If these measures don’t help, or if your varicose veins cause complications like ulcers and leg pain, you should contact Florida Hearts for an evaluation. You can also set up an appointment if you’d like to treat your varicose veins for cosmetic purposes only.

How are varicose veins treated?

At Florida Hearts, the team specializes in treating stubborn varicose veins with sclerotherapy. During sclerotherapy, your provider injects a solution called a sclerosant directly into the varicose vein. The sclerosant causes the vein to thicken and scar, eventually closing off to blood flow. The other veins in the region take over as the vein collapses, and nearby tissues absorb it.

You might need several sclerotherapy procedures to treat your varicose veins effectively. You’ll see the results within a month of your treatment.

If you have bumpy or twisted varicose veins on your legs, call the nearest Florida Hearts location, or book your visit online today.