Phlebology is the field of medicine that deals with vein diseases and disorders. While phlebology has been an established medical specialty in Europe for more than 50 years, serious interest in phlebology has only developed over the past 2 decades in the United States. In 2005, phlebology was recognized by the American Medical Association as a medical practice specialty.

Veins, unlike arteries, carry blood against the force of gravity. They rely on leg muscle contraction and one-way valves inside the veins to carry blood back toward the heart. If the valves in veins fail, gravity keeps blood from flowing back to the heart efficiently. This produces a back up or congestion of blood. As a result, pressure builds up and the diseased veins become enlarged, eventually bulging to the skin’s surface.

Some predisposing factors include aging, standing occupations, and leg injury or trauma. Heredity is the number one contributing factor that causes varicose and spider veins. Hormonal factors seen during puberty, pregnancy, menopause and the use of birth control pills affect the disease. It is common for varicose veins to become more prominent during pregnancy, and worsen with successive pregnancies.

Vein treatment causes abnormal veins to disappear and symptoms to improve. It prevents more extensive vein disease from developing and also helps to keep serious complications from occurring.

Women are more likely than men to suffer from from abnormal leg veins. Up to 55% of all American women may be affected in their lifetime.

Veins that cause leg pain, swelling, recurrent superficial blood clots, bleeding, or ulceration are prime candidates for treatment. Veins that cause other symptoms, such as aching, heaviness and fatigue, or that are cosmetically unappealing, may also benefit from treatment. There are 2 general treatment options: conservative measures such as compression stockings and herbal preparations; and corrective measures, such as endovenous thermal ablation, chemical ablation, surgery, sclerotherapy, and light source/laser treatment. In many cases, a combination of treatment methods works best.

Technological advances in evaluation and treatment methods allow spider and varicose veins to be treated more effectively and safely than ever before. Nevertheless, the success of any treatment method depends on two things: the careful assessment of the underlying problem, and the skill an experience of the phlebologist providing the treatment.

Generally speaking, complications related to varicose vein treatment are rare. Serious complications, such as life threatening allergy and/or blood clots, may occur with any treatment for large varicose veins. Infection may occur with any surgery, and skin burns may occur with any laser/light source treatment or sclerotherapy. Minor complication include may include temporary discomfort, bruising, swelling, discoloration, or reddish blushing of the skin following treatment. Although these risks are small, no procedure is risk-free.