Category: Sclerotherapy

One of the most frequently performed procedures for the treatment of spider and varicose veins at Florida Vein Care is sclerotherapy. Dr. Richard Bragg leads the highly skilled and professional team who delivers the best in vein care at their vein clinic in Orlando where a variety of treatments for both spider and varicose veins are offered. The key to recommending what will be the most successful procedure for you is the accurate diagnosis of the scope and size of the diseased vessels.

Dr. Bragg explains: “Sclerotherapy is used for slightly larger spider veins and small varicose veins. It’s in these sized blood vessels that sclerotherapy provides the most relief.” So, what exactly is sclerotherapy? Sclerotherapy is a series of very small, almost infinitesimal, injections containing a sclerosing agent which is a painless solution that bathes the inside of the damaged vein. The liquid or foam injected causes the veins ultimately collapse. The vein is then reabsorbed by the body while new routes for circulation are developed naturally.

The sclerotherapy procedure is performed in an office setting with a local anesthetic. It usually takes 30 minutes for each session during which 50 to 70 veins can be treated. At the time of the injection, some patients report a feeling of mild cramping which resolves quickly. Compression stockings are prescribed to be worn for a minimum of one week following a treatment. If additional procedures are required for selected areas, these treatments can be scheduled three to six weeks after each procedure. It is recommended that patients do not engage in strenuous activities or aerobic exercise for the week following a treatment.

Prior to your treatment, it is recommended that you bathe or shower but that you do not shave your legs on the day of. Do not use lotions or creams or spray lotions on your legs on the day of the procedure. Aspirin, ibuprofen, anti-inflammatory medication, blood thinners and other medications or herbal supplements are to be stopped one week before sclerotherapy. You will be provided with a comprehensive list at the time your procedure is scheduled. Try to eat a light meal or snack about 1 ½ hours before arriving at our office.

Your vein health is the number one priority at our vein clinic in Orlando. The only way to determine the severity of your spider or varicose veins and determine which treatment option is right for you is to be examined by an experienced vein care specialist. Call now and schedule your consultation with Dr. Bragg and the amazing staff at Florida Vein Care at 407-805-8989.

Before treatment for varicose veins in Orlando can be addressed, Dr. Bragg wants you to know the reason behind requiring treatment. If you remember back to your elementary school science class, our circulatory system is a complicated network comprised of the heart, veins, and arteries carrying blood to and from the heart. Arteries pump oxygenated blood throughout the body, and veins return blood back to the heart. Valves work within the vessels to control blood flow and, in essence, help to maintain steady pressure.

When the valves stop working properly, whether as a result of genetics, age, pregnancy, immobility, or obesity, etc., the blood begins to pool behind the valve. The pooling causes the veins to swell, and, eventually, bulge towards the skin’s surface. Appropriate circulation is diminished and the symptoms of varicose veins become apparent. In addition to swelling, patients complain of achiness and fatigue in the affected limb, itchiness, cramping, and discoloration of the skin.

Surgical removal of the vein, also called vein stripping, is when the diseased vein is tied off and removed from the leg either through an incision in the groin or behind the knee, or both. This treatment requires general anesthesia and is now only performed in certain cases.

Sclerotherapy combines ultrasound guidance with injections of liquid or foam into the diseased vein. The injections promote the collapse of the veins, which are ultimately reabsorbed by the body. In essence, they are removed.

Another minimally-invasive treatment includes radio-wave or radio-frequency ablation of the superficial vein. Guided through a small catheter, the radio-wave energy is introduced through a small incision in the affected vein, resulting in the vein being sealed off through the heat generated. Endovenous laser therapy is also a form of ablation. However, as its name suggests, a laser pulse is used to generate the heat required to seal off the damaged vein. In all cases, when the vein is closed off, the body adjusts and reroutes the blood supply to nearby vessels.

Dr. Bragg states “The most frequently asked question by patients is ‘If you take out the veins, or shut them down to be reabsorbed into my body, will my circulation get worse?’” He explains that “Circulation will actually improve because only the damaged veins with the leaky valves are removed. Compare it to having a leaky pipe in your home that just can’t be repaired. When you turn off the water to that area, the water pressure throughout the house improves.”

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of varicose veins please, don’t wait to seek medical advice. There are several treatment options for varicose veins in Orlando. Call us at 407-805-8989 schedule an appointment to come in for a consultation. Dr. Bragg and his staff want to help restore your vein health to function at its best. Live the life you want to live!

For many patients afflicted by varicose veins, the thought of seeking treatment is a scary proposition. The stories shared by older relatives and friends of varicose vein treatments in the past were very painful and required lengthy periods of recuperation, which prevented them from seeking relief from the symptoms they experienced. The process of surgical removal of the vein, “vein stripping”, or “phlebectomy” was a very common and invasive procedure used in the not too distant past. During the procedure, the diseased vein was tied off and removed from the leg, either through an incision in the groin or behind the knee, or both. This treatment required general anesthesia and is very rarely performed nowadays. The good news is that modern technology has advanced the development of treatments in the last few years, as explained by Orlando vein center.

Most non-invasive courses of intervention included the wearing of compression stockings combined with frequent elevation of the legs to reduce symptoms. Prescription anti-inflammatory drugs are still sometimes prescribed to ease symptoms.

Sclerotherapy, another treatment option, combines ultrasound guidance to the superficial diseased veins that are then typically injected with a liquid or foam that promotes the collapse of the veins, which are ultimately reabsorbed by the body.

Minimally-invasive treatment options also include radio-wave or radio-frequency ablation of the superficial vein. Guided through a small catheter, the radio-wave energy is introduced through a small incision in the affected vein, resulting in the vein being sealed off through the heat generated. Endovenous laser therapy is also a form of ablation. However, as its name suggests, a laser pulse is used to generate the heat required to seal off the damaged vein.

With sclerotherapy, radio-frequency, and endovenous laser therapy, the vein is closed off then the body adjusts and reroutes the blood supply to nearby vessels. There is no anesthesia required for these procedures other than a minor injection of a numbing agent, usually lidocaine, at the procedure site or sites. Depending on the severity, a mild sedative might be prescribed. Patients can usually return to normal activity immediately after any of the above minimally invasive procedures. Some patients, though rare, have reported experiencing minimal bruising, swelling, or scarring.

Patients are encouraged to discuss varicose vein treatment options with their physician at an Orlando vein care center to determine the right option for them. Please contact the expert staff at Florida Vein Care and Cosmetic Center at (407) 805-8989, and allow us to help you make an informed decision when selecting the varicose vein treatment that is right for you. You deserve to live symptom-free and to have health and beauty restored to your legs.

It’s common for the staff at our Orlando vein center to hear people ask “Do you still do those saline injections for spider veins?” Typically, this question is followed by comments about how painful the saline injections are and how they had to lay down for days after the treatment to ensure proper results. One of the reasons Florida Vein Care participates in health fairs, physician-led community lectures, and trade shows is to educate the public on contemporary vein treatments available today. The next physician-led community lecture is Wed. Feb. 17th at the Marks St. Senior Center, led by Dr. Bragg.

Today, we consider saline injections “old school”, although the actual procedure known as sclerotherapy remains the gold standard. Why not saline anymore? It’s simple: technology has provided more effective and advanced sclerosing agents that perform better than saline with little or no discomfort to the patient.

When searching for a vein treatment practice, it’s important to ask: “What solution do you use for sclerotherapy?” If a practice says they use saline, chances are they don’t do a lot of sclerotherapy. Saline is inexpensive and has a long shelf life if preserved, so some practices out there will offer saline sclerotherapy to their clients as a convenience more than a routine procedure.

What sclerosing solution should you look for? At Florida Vein Care & Cosmetic Center, we use Sotradecol & Polidocanol. Both are specifically compounded to act as a vein “sealant” through sclerotherapy injections. Both Sotradecol and Polidocanol provide superior results with sclerotherapy and without the painful burn or sting of saline. Hemosiderin staining, a common side effect of saline injections, is also mitigated with the use of Sotradecol and Polidocanol.

The cost of these agents is much greater than saline as they are limited in shelf life and are custom compounded for sclerotherapy. This is why you will not see Florida Vein Care & Cosmetic Center offering low-cost sclerotherapy sessions like you may find on local coupon service sites. (Buyer beware when a sclerotherapy deal is too good to be true; it usually is!)   When shopping for a sclerotherapy provider, it’s important to find out:

• Do they screen clients for venous insufficiency? If you are not screened for leaky vein valves, your spider and varicose veins will come right back. Find out if they do a Doppler exam to rule out venous insufficiency first.
• What sclerosing agent does the practice use to inject your veins? Look for superior agents such as Polidocanol and Sotradecol for all the reasons stated above.
• Who is performing the sclerotherapy & what certifications do they have?  Sclerotherapy should always be performed by an MD, P.A.-C, or an ARNP.
• How long have they been practicing in the specialty of phlebology & are the injectors members of the American Academy of Phlebology?
• Does the practice prescribe graduated compression therapy after treatment? Any practice who doesn’t send you home in graduated compression stockings cannot be taken seriously as a vein treatment center.

At our Orlando vein center, Medical Director, Richard Bragg, MD, is Central Florida’s own expert on sclerotherapy and venous disease/treatment. Dr. Bragg has been practicing for more than 17 years and trains other physicians on endovenous laser therapy (EVLT), the latest innovation in varicose vein treatment. Madge Geohagen P.A.-C is his assistant, and she has more than 16 years experience as a sclerotherapy injector. “I have been having sclerotherapy treatments for years, and it wasn’t until I found Madge that I started to see real results! I recommend Madge to anyone with spider veins; she’s the best!”-Elizabeth, FVC client.

We welcome you to come to Dr. Bragg’s lecture at Mark’s Street Senior Center on Wednesday, Feb. 17th at 10 a.m. This event is free to the public. RSVP to Judy Vaughan, Florida Vein Care & Cosmetic Center Director: (407)805-8989 or email: [email protected]

When considering a procedure for varicose vein relief, patients must do their homework in picking a vein clinic in Orlando.  The decision to have sclerotherapy performed on your varicose veins is a serious one that requires you and your doctor to work as a team to help you become fully educated about what the procedure entails, what is required after the procedure, the anticipated results, and the success rate experienced by other patients. A visit to Florida Vein Care is the first step in diagnosing the severity of your vein disease and determining if sclerotherapy is the appropriate treatment for you.

In a nut shell, sclerotherapy is one the most commonly performed procedures to not only relieve, but to eliminate the symptoms that accompany spider and smaller varicose veins. Sclerotherapy means that veins are typically injected with a liquid or foam that irritates the inside of the vein walls and promotes the collapse of the veins. The collapsed veins are then ultimately reabsorbed by the body. It is important to note that Dr. Bragg does NOT use saline to promote the degeneration of the veins. A skilled injector makes certain the correct solution is injected the first time.

Another big difference in the sclerotherapy procedures performed at Florida Vein Care is that screening for reflux is always completed to ensure that the veins will not come back. Dr. Bragg has specialized in this methodology for several years with great success.

A sclerotherapy session usually takes about 30 minutes and, depending on the individual, between 50 and 70 veins can be treated during this one appointment. After the treatment, you will have to wear compression stockings for approximately one week, and then you will be required to come back for a follow-up appointment to check the status of your vein health. You may experience some discomfort, but most patients report it to be more of a minor nuisance. In some cases, larger varicose veins may require a different treatment, which will help to eliminate the deeper varicosities with more accuracy then is required for surface spider veins and smaller varicose veins.

Don’t put off getting your legs healthy again. Call our vein clinic in Orlando, Florida Vein Care, at 407-805-8989 today, and let Dr. Bragg and his staff put you on the correct path to vein health.