Abnormally prominent and swollen veins, especially in the legs. These veins are due to incompetent valves allowing
blood to fall down into what should be small vein branches. Over time these branches become large and can put pressure on surrounding tissues.
Long term sequellae of untreated varicose veins can be venous hypertension, thrombosis, bleeding and stasis ulcers.

Treatment is directed towards reducing the pressure and backwards flow down the Greater Saphenous Vein (GSV) or Lesser Saphenous Vein (LSV) by destroying or closing the vein. This can be accomplished by ligation or laser ablation. After treatment residual secondary vein branches can be safely treated with foam sclerotherapy.

A radiating network of fine, dilated capillaries on the surface of the skin exhibiting a blue or purple appearance. These veins are generally considered cosmetic and have no medical sequelae. They can be successfully treated by saline injections, but they will return. A regular maintenance program can keep spider veins to a minimum. Women are more prone to spider veins as they are believe to be related to hormonal shifts. Other causes include obesity, alcohol, liver disease or sun exposure.

In my Encinitas office we provide treatment for both types of veins. All varicose vein treatment starts with a thorough venous mapping and reflux ultrasound
performed in our office by our very experienced vascular technician: Kerrie.

I have been treating large to medium sized symptomatic varicose veins for over 13 years and I am one of the only vascular surgeons who can offer a tailored treatment plan based upon the root cause of patient’s varicose veins. Treatment may include surgical ligation, endovenous laser ablation or ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy. Chronic venous stasis changes of the skin with or without ulcers can be prevented from getting worse with pressure reducing procedures such as GSV ablation and if needed a sub-endofascial perforator ligation procedure.

Karen, our sclerotherapist and esthetician, has been providing treatment for spider veins for over 5 years. Our results are outstanding and our patients are happy. We would be more than happy to evaluate your patients.