As you walk the white beaches, bike down Midnight Pass Road, or stroll around the Village, it’s hard not to take in the beauty of our area.
However, if you have varicose veins, the throbbing, aching, and soreness can interfere with your experiences, enjoying the scenery, or your favorite pastimes.
When this discomfort starts affecting your day-to-day life, we recommend visiting Florida Lakes Vein Center. Our team uses Varithena near Siesta Key to help patients reduce the symptoms of varicose veins.
If you want to get back to your active lifestyle more comfortably, keep reading. We explore everything you need to know about Varithena by answering common questions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Varithena
Dealing with varicose veins is frustrating and uncomfortable, so we want to make treatment as easy as possible.
That’s why our team answers your most-asked questions beforehand, giving you more expert support to make informed decisions regarding your health.
What is Varithena?
To treat coiled, bulging varicose veins, our specialists use Varithena. This medication can treat the saphenous veins (GSV) and smaller veins in the legs. These vessels all carry blood back up to the heart.
Varithena consists of an active ingredient, polidocanol, that closes damaged veins by irritating the vein walls, causing them to collapse. Your body then reroutes blood flow to healthier vessels.
As the microfoam comes in contact with healthier veins, it begins to dissipate. Varithena stays active in your body for around 90 seconds, meaning no foreign substance remains in the body after treatment.
Why should I receive Varithena?
When the symptoms of varicose veins become too uncomfortable, we recommend visiting our practice for Varithena near Siesta Key. The Varithena treatment has many advantages compared to vein surgeries or invasive solutions.
Here are a few benefits of receiving Varithena treatment:
- Highly effective care, as the solution eliminates the treated vein to reduce pain, aching, heaviness, and more. Clinical studies show 94.4% of patients found symptom relief.
- No surgery, sutures, or incisions. We simply use a few small injections to treat the vein, which is much less intensive for treatment and recovery compared to more complicated methods.
- Minimal discomfort during the treatment. You should expect 1 to 2 small needle pokes to access the vein.
Is Varithena safe?
Yes, this FDA-approved medication is safe for treating varicose veins when administered by precise and trained professionals. Although collapsing veins might sound intimidating, your body has more than enough veins to accommodate healthy blood flow.
We can improve your symptoms, reduce the risk of further complications, and enhance circulation by shutting down the damaged area of a vein with Varithena.
Near Siesta Key, our expert team takes all precautions to provide a safe and efficient treatment. Our leader, Dr. T.C. Lackey II, D.O., also serves as a certified Varithena instructor, meaning he teaches other medical professionals how to safely and effectively perform Varithena treatment.
You are always in great hands with our team.
Is Varithena permanent?
Yes, Varithena is permanent in the treated veins only. During the treatment, the vein walls shut, preventing that blood vessel from opening or carrying blood again.
Your body understands the vein cannot carry blood any longer, and it begins to form scar tissue over the vein. Over the next few months, the sealed vein gets broken down and reabsorbed.
However, it’s important to note that other varicose veins can appear again in different spots. Varithena treatment does not reduce the possibility of future varicose veins, as vein disease can continue to progress in other untreated vessels.
If you see new varicose veins form, you can return for another treatment with our team.
Can insurance cover my treatment?
Many insurance policies have criteria that determine the medical necessity of treating a vein.
The likelihood of insurance covering your treatment depends on:
- Size: The vein must be 3 millimeters in diameter or larger.
- Reflux: Referring to blood that flows backwards at a duration of 500 milliseconds or more.
Many insurance policies won’t cover treatment until the veins reach one or both of those thresholds.
If you meet the above criteria, you could have insurance coverage depending on your plan. We can discuss insurance and financing options during your evaluation.
Are there any side effects with Varithena?
We inform all patients about what they should expect after treatment. Most patients experience a mild reaction that they can manage with at-home remedies.
After your Varithena appointment, you might experience:
- Tenderness
- Redness
- Pain
- Bruising
- Swelling
- Itching
- Warmth
Many of these symptoms resolve on their own over the next few days. Our team recommends taking anti-inflammatory medication (Advil, Tylenol, Motrin, etc.) to alleviate minor symptoms.
If you experience persistent or worsening symptoms, contact our office for assistance.
FAQs About the Varithena Process
Here, we discuss questions that often come up during our consultation process. If you want to learn more about what you can expect from a Varithena treatment, keep reading.
How do I know if Varithena is right for me?
Before we begin treatment with Varithena near Siesta Key, our team invites you to our practice for a vein screening.
During this appointment, we discuss your:
- Lifestyle factors
- Medical history
- Current symptoms
- Anything else that helps us better understand your situation
We also provide vein ultrasounds to diagnose and assess venous concerns. We examine the vessel walls, surrounding tissues, and blood flow. Once we confirm your varicose vein(s) can be treated with Varithena, we schedule your first appointment!
What does the course of treatment look like?
Dr. Lackey and our other vein experts recommend a series of at least 4 Varithena treatments. This allows us to address the problematic vein entirely.
Our team provides all instructions for preparing and healing before and after your sessions.
What happens during an appointment?
To begin your appointment, we have you lie on our treatment table. Our providers might reposition you to allow easy access to your veins.
We do not require numbing for treatment, but if it makes you more comfortable with the injection process, we can apply it. Once you feel situated and ready, we use ultrasound guidance to locate the vein and inject Varithena into targeted areas along the vein.
You should expect 1 to 2 needle pricks during the 30-minute session with Varithena. Near Siesta Key, we design this treatment for your comfort, as it doesn’t require invasive measures or unnecessary discomfort.
Does Varithena have any downtime?
No, one of the best parts about varicose vein treatment with Varithena is the lack of downtime or recovery requirements. You can get back to most of your daily activities immediately after treatment. The more movement to enhance blood flow, the better!
We do recommend avoiding heavy exercise for a few days, but we highly advise walking.
What post-care instructions should I follow?
After each Varithena treatment, we wrap your leg in a pressure dressing. This compression should be kept on for 48 hours after your procedure. If your veins had a significant bulging or swollen appearance, we might recommend keeping the dressing on for longer to reduce the visual appearance of those veins.
Aside from wearing the pressure dressing, Dr. Lackey provides instructions to optimize healing and circulation.
- Walk several times a day for 20-minute intervals.
- Don’t stand or sit for long periods of time for the first week.
- Stay out of pools, hot tubs, and saunas for 2 to 3 days. Take a shower as opposed to a bath.
When can I see results?
After completing the recommended number of sessions of Varithena near Siesta Key, you can expect to feel gradual relief and notice improvements in the vein appearance. Following your recommended treatment plan gives you the best results.
Many patients experience relief soon after their first appointment as the solution starts to close off the damaged veins. You can feel reduced pain, heaviness, and leg fatigue in the first few days post-procedure.
Patients can also expect reductions in the vein’s swollen or raised appearance over the next few weeks as the body begins to address the treated vein.
Can I treat my varicose veins without Varithena?
Once your veins become medically necessary to treat, they cannot heal on their own without medical intervention.
Patients can choose to wear compression stockings to help manage the swelling or pain associated with veins, but that cannot heal or treat the varicose veins.
To reduce the risk of developing additional varicose veins in the future, we recommend:
- Adopting a healthy diet
- Engaging in regular exercise
- Quitting smoking
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Avoiding long periods of standing or sitting
How do I receive Varithena at Florida Lakes Vein Center?
Request a free vein screening with our team! After filling out the form, you can visit our clinic to confirm your candidacy for Varithena.
Near Siesta Key, we empower patients to take a proactive role in their vein health. With our minimally invasive, non-surgical treatments, we can help you walk, bike, play, and more without the discomfort of varicose veins.