Cleared for Summer: How Endovenous Laser Therapy Eliminates Varicose Veins

You’d like to show off your legs this summer — not your varicose veins. It’s time to visit our team at Vascular Vein Centers. As the only IAC-accredited vein testing experts in Central Florida dedicated exclusively to venous care and leg health, we can evaluate your varicose veins and provide tailored treatment for optimal vein clearance.  

In this month’s blog, we explain how a minimally invasive vein clearance treatment called endovenous laser therapy (EVLT) can help you get the smooth, clear skin you’re after. 

A short tutorial on varicose veins

If an area of skin on your thigh, knee, calf, or ankle is marked by bulging, swollen blood vessels that look dark and twisted, you aren’t alone: Millions of people in the United States have visible vein damage in the form of varicose veins.  

Damaged vein valves

Swollen, rope-like varicosities often appear on the lower extremities. Why? The veins in your legs are under increased pressure as they work against gravity to keep deoxygenated blood flowing back toward your heart.

Your veins contain one-way valves that partner with leg muscle contractions to circulate blood efficiently. When these valves are impaired or damaged, blood pools behind them, causing the affected area of vessels to dilate, twist, and distort — or become varicose. 

Common risk factors

Varicose veins are common because the factors that contribute to their emergence are, too. Family history, aging, female gender, lack of exercise, excess weight, and pregnancy increase your odds of developing them, as does too much sitting or standing.   

From mild to severe 

Venous disease is a spectrum, with varicose veins on the mild end, and chronic venous insufficiency (poor circulation) and its complications on the more severe end. 

Even so, varicose veins themselves can be mild, moderate, or severe. The worst thing about mild varicose veins is usually their appearance; more severe vein damage may cause leg cramping and heaviness as well as itchy, swollen skin. 

Varicose vein clearance with EVLT

In the not-so-distant past, intensive surgical “vein stripping” was the only way to remove unwanted varicose veins. Today, thanks to ongoing advances in minimally invasive vein care techniques, endovenous laser therapy (EVLT) can clear problematic veins from your skin — without surgery. 

Method

EVLT is an ablative vein treatment that uses laser energy to close off faulty, dilated veins: When the laser’s precision-focused heat enters the vessel, the vein contracts, collapses inward, and seals itself shut.   

Your blood flow naturally reroutes into healthier vessels, and the closed vein gradually forms into harmless scar tissue that fades from view as your body reabsorbs it. 

Procedure

EVLT is a quick in-office procedure that usually takes less than an hour; most of this time is spent prepping for precision and monitoring your initial recovery. Core EVLT steps include:

1. Mapping: We use ultrasound to map the vein and plan your treatment. 
2. Anesthesia: We numb the vein pathway with injections of a local anesthetic.
3. Incision: We make a small incision over one end of the targeted vein.
4. Guidance: We visualize the vein with ultrasound imaging.
5. Insertion: We thread a thin catheter and laser fiber through the vein.
6. Activation: Once it’s in place, we activate the thermal tip of the laser fiber.
7. Ablation: We slowly withdraw the laser, heating the vein in the process.
8. Closure: The heat causes the vascular tube to contract, collapse, and close.

Walking around the recovery room right after the procedure encourages strong circulation as your blood flow diverts to healthy, functioning veins.

Results 

Following EVLT treatment, your collapsed vein gradually forms into harmless scar tissue and fades from view, usually disappearing within a few weeks. During this time, daily walks and compression therapy help support optimal blood flow and recovery.  

Laser ablation is effective, with a 92% overall success rate of full vein closure after a single treatment. Even better, EVLT is associated with a low recurrence rate compared to other vein removal methods. 

Larger varicosities sometimes require a second session for optimal results, and some people need a secondary sclerotherapy treatment (usually about two weeks later) to clear adjacent vein dilations (e.g., interconnected spider veins).  

Benefits 

EVLT is a minimally invasive, maximally effective varicose vein clearance treatment that’s quick, safe, and carries no downtime; you can resume most normal activities right away. 

In addition to gradually clearing the bulging vein from your skin, the treatment provides immediate, sustained relief from associated symptoms like leg pain or cramping.

Expert vein care in Central Florida

Ready to clear unwanted varicose veins from your legs this summer? Call 877-244-8558 to schedule an evaluation at your nearest Vascular Vein Centers location today. We have six offices in College Park of Orlando, Kissimmee, Waterford Lakes of East Orlando, Lake Mary, Davenport/Haines City, and The Villages, Florida.