What is a Vein Doctor Called?

A vein doctor, i.e., a medical professional specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of vein problems, is called a phlebologist. The name “phlebologist” is derived from “phlebology,” which is the branch of medicine dealing with vascular health and vein conditions, such as spider veins, varicose veins, chronic venous insufficiency, and deep vein thrombosis. If you have any of these problems, or other signs and symptoms of vein disease, you should contact a phlebologist.

Vein doctors can come from all fields of medicine, including cardiology, anesthesiology, internal medicine, dermatology, and others. The only requirement to become a vein doctor is specialized training in the diagnosis and treatment of vein problems. They should also have advanced training in the latest minimally invasive spider vein and varicose vein treatments. However, while dermatologists can also provide vein treatments, you should ideally opt for treatment from dedicated phlebologists.

A phlebologist, also known as a vein doctor, specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of vein problems and chronic venous insufficiency, a medical condition wherein the collapse of vein valves makes blood flow backward and accumulate in the leg veins. The phlebologist will examine your leg veins and blood vessels to diagnose the root cause of your problems and curate a personalized spider and varicose vein treatment plan.

The goal of your first vascular appointment is for the vein doctor to acquaint themselves with your particular conditions and goals. You’ll have to fill out a medical form with your symptoms and medical history, which will help the vein doctor determine if you have vein disease. The vein specialist will also ask about your symptoms — you should highlight all the symptoms, even if they seem unrelated to vein problems.

Your vascular doctor will also review your medical history and ask if you have a family history of vein problems. If your parents have a history of vein problems, it’s almost certain that you’ll have vein problems as well, eventually. The vein doctor will also examine your leg veins to identify spider veins, varicose veins, and other vein problems. Based on the assessment, they’ll determine the next steps and schedule an ultrasound diagnostic test.

After your initial consultation, the vascular doctor will schedule an ultrasound diagnostic test, known as duplex ultrasound. The primary goal of this test is to visualize the blood flow in your leg veins. Backward blood circulation and accumulated blood in the leg veins are common signs of chronic venous insufficiency. The diagnosis will allow the vein doctor to curate a personalized treatment plan for you.

The vascular doctor will discuss all of your possible vein treatment options, such as radiofrequency ablation, endovenous laser ablation, venaseal, clarivein, and sclerotherapy. You should only consult vein doctors that recommend minimally invasive vein treatments instead of vascular surgery. That’s because vascular surgery is now deemed outdated and obsolete — minimally invasive varicose vein treatments are more effective, safer, and more convenient.

The vein doctor will schedule your vein treatments. All minimally invasive vein treatments are performed as in-office, outpatient procedures under local anesthesia or topical anesthesia. Some involve injections (sclerotherapy), whereas others might involve small incisions on the skin’s surface (radiofrequency ablation, ambulatory phlebectomy). The vein treatment should conclude within an hour, following which you can resume your daily activities.

The following are some of the most common signs of poor circulation:

• Leg heaviness
• Leg pain
• Leg swelling
• Frequent leg cramps
• Restless leg syndrome
• Skin discoloration
• Leg ulcers (non-healing wounds)
• Spider veins
• Varicose veins

If you notice the aforementioned symptoms, there’s a strong chance you may have chronic venous insufficiency. Please schedule an appointment with your vein specialist in New York to explore your minimally invasive vein treatment options.