Pictured above from left to right: Josue Medina M.D., RVT, RPVI, Joshua Trock, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Lymphedema Specialist DPT, CLT-LANA, CF-LI, Kelsey Wong, Physician Assistant PA-C, John S Hogg M.D., RVT, RPVI, RVS, RPHS, Jesus Garcia, Registered Vascular Technician IMG, RVT
Many doctors and clinics are performing vein procedures these days, but only a handful in San Antonio make vein disease their focus and sole practice. You and your health deserve care by a practitioner who has treated 1,000’s of patients in image-guided ultrasound procedures, not someone who performs a few of these a week as a sideline to other medical or cosmetic procedures.
Make sure your doctor is a board-certified radiologist specializing in vein disease. They should be, at a minimum, a diplomat of the American Board of Venous & Lymphatic Medicine, or ABVLM. It is a rigorous process to become certified as an ABVLM fellow. Doctors must complete hundreds of cases of various vein treatment procedures with venous ablation techniques under strict training guidance. They must also pass a stringent written test and take ongoing medical education classes.
An ABVLM certification is important because it demonstrates proficiency and an understanding of how to treat the underlying disease matters. Vein disease is progressive and, if not properly treated, only gets worse. Spider veins are a symptom of underlying vein disease. If you don’t treat the underlying cause, patients may experience more swelling, pain, etc. For instance, if you have a hole in the wall due to termites, plastering and painting over it doesn’t get rid of the problem. Likewise, if you treat spider veins without treating the underlying cause, they may come back worse than before.
Some clinics still use surgery to remove varicose veins. This is an older, highly invasive, costly and painful procedure that require anesthesia and a long recovery time. At Medical Vein Clinic we treat varicose veins with non-surgical, state-of-the-art ultrasound guided vein treatments using local, topical anesthetics. These procedures take about an hour, and our patients walk-in and walk out of our clinic. So, make sure your physician is board certified by the American Board of Radiology, and a Fellow of the American Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine to do these procedures with the skill and competence you deserve.
A trusted vein specialist will take the time to explain vein disease to you, its underlying causes, processes, and treatment options. They will answer your questions knowledgeably. They will accept insurance to pay for your procedures because insurance companies recognize these doctors’ expertise and believe their treatments will help stop the progression of vein disease. Vein disease, left unchecked, will only get worse—in some cases may lead to permanent Rust Tattoo™, or darkening of the lower legs, chronic swelling, and loss of mobility. It’s important to see a doctor who treats the underlying disease and doesn’t simply perform cosmetic procedures to make your legs look better temporarily.
When visiting with a doctor to have your veins treated, these questions should be on your checklist:
- Is treating vein disease your only focus or do you perform other services?
- Do you have your ABVLM fellow designation?
- Do you perform non-surgical, non-invasive vein treatments?
- Are you a board-certified radiologist, trained in image-guided vein procedures?
- How many of these procedures do you perform a week?
- Do you take insurance for these procedures?
Please call or email us and our ABVLM credentialed doctors will answer your questions:
info@medicalveinclinic.com
210-622-8000
Here’s to your legs feeling and looking better, and your health!
Thanks for these tips on choosing a vein doctor. My mom is thinking about seeing one for her varicose veins. I think choosing an experienced doctor would help make sure she could get the best treatment.
My mother-in-law wants to find a vein specialist that can treat her varicose veins. I appreciate your suggestions to make sure any doctor you consider has ongoing medical education. I’ll make sure my mother-in-law finds a specialist that has a reliable educational background and works to continue it.
I have visible veins all over my legs, so I’ve always been overly conscious of them and want to have them treated as soon as possible. I appreciate you telling us that a trusted vein specialist will be able to explain our vein disease to us, as well as the underlying cause and treatment options. I’ll be sure to keep this in mind while I look for leg vein disorder treatments I might consider getting soon.
What caught my attention is you could expect your questions to be answered knowledgeably when you speak with a trusted vein specialist. This is something that I will share with my sister who has been complaining about a painful right leg due to varicose veins. She wants to make sure that she will undergo a proper vascular ultrasound procedure, so your tips must be helpful to her.