How to Choose the Best Vein Specialist

Vein doctors


Any time you choose a doctor to trust with your health, the decision is important. Your health is the top priority, and you don’t want to trust anyone unqualified with your treatment. You want to make sure that you’re seeing someone who is knowledgeable, confident, skilled, and capable. When dealing with the health of your veins, choosing the best vascular surgeons in Orlando is imperative. Vein specialists and surgeons have dedicated their lives to treating specifically venous health concerns. They possess the knowledge necessary to skillfully treat your venous insufficiency and leave you happy with legs that you can be confident about.

However, no two vein specialists are exactly the same. In an ideal world, every specialist would care about your well-being and give you the best treatment possible. This, unfortunately, is not an ideal world. When picking a vein specialist, you should do your research to make sure that your venous health is in the best hands possible. You deserve to see a vein specialist who takes the treatment of your venous insufficiency as seriously as you do. Central Florida Vein & Vascular Center has these tips to assist you in your search for a quality vein specialist who will deliver the treatment you need.

Speak With A Specialist

Find a Vascular Surgeon

First, you have to decide what kind of doctor you want to see. A specialist will know more about venous insufficiency than a general care practitioner, but Central Florida Vein & Vascular recommends going one step further and searching for a specialized vascular surgeon. It’s not enough to simply have enough knowledge to diagnose the problem—you want your doctor to be able to understand and be capable of administering treatment. A specialized vascular surgeon will have the training, experience, and skill to diagnose and treat your vein issues. You will be able to rest easy knowing that you’re trusting your venous health with someone capable.

When you’re considering visiting a clinic, make sure to find one that feels comfortable and is home to several vascular surgeons. Treatment can be stressful, and great specialists should know how to make the process as comfortable as possible. Here at Central Florida Vein & Vascular Center, we have the experience that you deserve. We are home to several board-certified, fellowship-trained vascular surgeons that have dedicated their lives to making sure that you receive quality treatment.

Learn More About Varicose Veins

Find an Honest Clinic

Health is tricky, and every person is a unique individual with their own needs in treatment. Although venous insufficiency is now treated through non-invasive procedures, there still is not one easy, miraculous answer to your concerns. A quality doctor will want to make sure that they’re developing the best treatment plan for your venous insufficiency, and this requires taking the time to fully understand the current state of your venous health. This is a process that takes a diagnostic test and isn’t figured out in an instant.

Use your best judgment when speaking to a specialist. If their treatment options sound too good to be true, then they probably are. A clinic should use a diagnostic ultrasound to diagnose your condition before they determine the best treatment for your unique case. A doctor cannot merely glance at your skin and know exactly what’s wrong and how to fix it. Just as you cannot figure out the entire picture of a puzzle through one piece, a doctor cannot figure out the entire problem by only focusing on one small detail. A specialist should take the proper time to run tests and discuss your symptoms so that they are fully aware of your treatment needs.

Find the Best Treatment Options

Once you’ve found a knowledgeable specialist, check out what treatment options they offer. An accurate diagnosis is only a small part of the picture. Ultimately, proper treatment will dictate the future of your venous health. Once a treatment plan has been laid out, stop to consider the treatment and whether or not it best suits you. Is it minimally invasive and on the cusp of new vein technology? Or does it involve surgical stripping of the veins? Except in rare cases, vein stripping has become a thing of the past. Newer treatments are minimally invasive with little pain and recovery time, which greatly lowers the amount of stress often associated with treatment.

At Central Florida Vein & Vascular, we offer procedures including endovenous laser treatment, ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy, spider vein sclerotherapy, and veinlite sclerotherapy. These treatments are becoming the standard in treating issues such as varicose veins and spider veins. They involve minimal discomfort and don’t require long hospital stays, unlike older methods of treatment. These treatments also address venous problems without leaving scarring, so patients aren’t trading in one visible condition for another. Patients are usually back up on their feet the same day and happy about their ability to enjoy happy, healthy legs again.

How to Find the Right Vein Specialist

Check the Doctor’s Area of Specialty

Do the physicians specialize in vein care, or do they simply dabble in it? For the best care possible, you need a physician who has put in the time to truly understand vein health and how to treat venous insufficiency. Central Florida Vein & Vascular Center is home to the highly skilled vascular surgeon, Dr. Horowitz, who has dedicated his life to becoming one of the pioneers in minimally invasive vein therapy. Our dedicated center has offered expertise in vein care for more than a decade.

Look for Board Certification

Some people dabble in vein care. Other people specialize in it. You’ll want to avoid providers that lack the wealth of knowledge and experience that’s needed to properly diagnose and treat your veins. You’ll want to find an experienced, board-certified specialist who stays on top of breakthroughs in the field. For example, Dr. Horowitz is a board-certified specialist at the Central Florida Vein & Vascular Center and has practiced vein care in Orlando since 1993. He is one of only 700 physicians in the United States certified by The American Board of Venous & Lymphatic Medicine.

Ask About State-Of-The-Art Technology

Ask your specialist whether they’re up to date with the newest technology in vein care. Vein stripping is no longer the standard procedure for venous treatment. If that’s all your physician is offering, look elsewhere. Minimally invasive treatments, like endovenous laser treatment, is becoming the gold standard in vein care and allows you to get back on your feet quickly with minimal downtime.

Ask for Recommendations and Referrals

Check whether others would recommend the physician. Reviews and testimonials can help you see the experiences others have had with that specialist. If no one would recommend that specialist to a friend, then keep searching for one worth positive reviews.

Ensure Technology Is Modern and Up-To-Date

If you’re scared of undergoing a vein stripping procedure, don’t worry! Modern vein technology is minimally invasive with minimal downtime so you can get back on your feet. First, look for modern procedures like a diagnostic vascular ultrasound. This ensures that a specialist can properly diagnose the veins and create the most helpful treatment plan. Next, make sure your clinic also offers a variety of treatment options. Providers shouold understand that even modern treatments aren’t one-size-fits-all. While procedures like Endovenous Laser Treatment are considered the gold standard, we also offer Sclerotherapy, Topical Laser Therapy, Microphlebectomy, and Venaseal Therapy to patients who would benefit from these procedures.

Talk to the Clinic’s Team

Now that you’ve done your research, it’s time to call the clinic and see how you feel about the initial experience. Do you feel comfortable trusting the team with your veins? At the end of the day, this is your health. You should be able to trust your specialist, ask them questions, and get the answers you need. Every team member should be dedicated to making sure you’re satisfied with your treatment.

When To Schedule An Appointment

There are certain symptoms that signal it’s time to call a specialist. You’ll want to schedule a consultation if you’re experiencing any of these symptoms:

  • Legs that are fatigued, itchy, or painful
  • Any swelling, redness, or cramping in the lower leg
  • Skin damage or ulcers
  • Dermatitis

A specialist, after a consultation, will be able to tell you if the underlying cause is your veins. Here’s what you can expect during a consultation.

Physical Symptoms

Physical symptoms can be some of the roughest symptoms to deal with. It’s bad enough that poor venous health is often visible, but it’s the physical symptoms that can make it difficult to comfortably get through the day. If you’re experiencing physical symptoms, you should schedule a consultation with a vein specialist. Slight discomforts, when left untreated, can grow into major issues over time.

Symptoms that you should be looking out for include painful leg bulging, uncomfortable sores developing on the lower leg, leg cramps or discomfort, and itching or restless legs. These are symptoms often associated with varicose veins—a venous insufficiency caused by the inability of vein valves to properly circulate blood through the leg. This can potentially cause blood clots, so it’s important to get any physical concerns addressed sooner rather than later.

Visible Symptoms

Not all symptoms are painful. Even if you are not experiencing discomfort in your legs, it may still be a good idea to schedule a consultation with a specialist. Some physical changes, even without pain, can still be a sign that something is wrong with the body that needs to be addressed. Again, it’s always better to address concerns as soon as you can to avoid a small issue growing into something more complicated to treat.

Some visible symptoms that you should be wary of are darkening skin, discoloration of the calves or ankles, blue veins on the ankle or foot, open sores on the ankle, swollen ankles or legs, and leathery thickening of the skin near the calf and ankle. These signs of potential venous problems should be addressed by a specialist for proper treatment.

What To Expect From A Vein Specialist

While some doctors dabble in vein care, others specialize in it. An experienced, board-certified vein specialist is well versed in their field and stays up-to-date with the most modern technology. When you call them, their first step will be to ask you to come in for a consultation.

You can’t tell the state of your vein health just by looking at your legs, even if you do have visible symptoms. A specialist will use a special tool, generally an ultrasound, to see the full picture of your veins. What they see will help determine what form of treatment will work best for you. This could be as simple as prescribing compression stockings and suggesting simple lifestyle changes to help keep your veins healthy. Or, they may suggest vein surgery. This line of treatment is minimally invasive with very little downtime. Many patients are back to work the next day.

Learn moreChoose the Best Vein Specialist

Choosing the right vein specialist is a serious decision that should not be taken lightly, as it will have a direct impact on your venous health. You don’t want to see a specialist who isn’t careful or experienced, and then end up having to seek out a better specialist to fix the problems caused by the first! Seeing a specialist about your venous health concerns should be a productive, comfortable process that ends in the best results possible for you. Take the proper time necessary to find a specialist who will deliver the treatment you deserve.

If you’re looking for the best vascular surgeons in Orlando, we invite you to consider our specialists at Central Florida Vein & Vascular Center. Our staff is dedicated to giving you the best treatment possible, from the initial consultation all the way through to the moment you walk out the door with healthier veins. Please call us today at 407-545-3385 or 352-658-5547 to schedule a consultation with our specialists. We would be happy to help you on your path toward treating venous insufficiency. You can also visit our blog for more information about the treatment options we offer.

Go to the Varicose Vein Guide

Ocoee / Health Central

10000 W. Colonial Dr. #495
 Ocoee, FL 34761

(407) 293-5944 | Fax: (407) 293-7355
Hunters Creek / The Loop

1130 Cypress Glen Circle
 Kissimmee, FL 34741

(407) 293-5944 | Fax: (407) 293-7355
The Villages

13953 Northeast 86th Terrace, Suite 101
Lady Lake, FL 32159

(352) 561-2800 | Fax: (407) 293-7355