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Procedures performed
Interventional radiologists
This is the single strongest predictor. If both of your parents had varicose veins, your own risk climbs sharply. Vein wall strength and valve structure are inherited traits — which is why we always ask about your mother’s and grandmother’s legs, not just your own.
Nurses, teachers, stylists, line cooks, warehouse staff and crews all share the same occupational exposure: hours of standing with very little calf-muscle movement. Standing still is harder on your veins than walking all day.
Metro Atlanta has one of the longest average commutes in the Southeast. An hour each way on I-285, I-75, or GA-400 means two hours a day with your knees bent, your calf pump idle, and blood sitting in your lower legs — repeated five days a week for years.
Pregnancy increases circulating blood volume by up to 50% while progesterone relaxes vein walls, and the growing uterus presses on the pelvic veins. Many women first notice varicose veins during a second or third pregnancy. Some improve postpartum; many do not, and each subsequent pregnancy adds risk.
Vein valves are thin, flexible tissue that has been opening and closing since before you were born. They stiffen and lose their seal over time. Symptoms most often surface between 40 and 60 — but we regularly treat patients in their late 20s and early 30s, particularly those with a strong family history.
Extra body weight raises the pressure inside the abdomen, which pushes back down on the leg veins and makes it harder for blood to climb out. Georgia’s adult obesity rate is among the higher tiers nationally, which is one reason venous disease is so widely underdiagnosed here. Prior DVT also permanently damages valves.
Vein disease shows up under a dozen different names. Below are the conditions our Atlanta team diagnoses and treats most often — and how each one connects back to the same underlying pressure problem.
Fine red, blue, or purple lines just beneath the skin surface, most often on the thigh, calf, or ankle. Frequently cosmetic — but a dense cluster around the ankle can be the first outward sign of underlying reflux.
The umbrella diagnosis: leg vein valves that no longer seal, allowing blood to pool. CVI is what drives most of the swelling, aching, skin discoloration, and ulceration patients come to us for.
A clot in one of the deep leg veins. DVT is a medical urgency because of the risk of pulmonary embolism, and it permanently damages valves — which is why so many post-DVT patients develop chronic swelling years later.
Skin darkening or color changes caused by poor circulation and prolonged venous disease. Often develops gradually as blood pools in the lower legs and damages surrounding tissue. May be an early sign of advanced chronic venous insufficiency.
Aching, burning, or throbbing sensations in the legs, often linked to underlying vein dysfunction. Symptoms typically worsen after long periods of standing or sitting and improve with leg elevation. May be an early sign of chronic venous disease.
Open wounds near the ankle caused by sustained venous pressure. Wound care alone rarely closes them for good. Correcting the underlying reflux is what stops the cycle of healing and reopening.
Chronic pelvic pain, pressure, or heaviness caused by dilated pelvic veins. Often overlooked for years and misattributed to other gynecologic causes. Frequently accompanied by varicose veins on the upper inner thigh or buttock.
Not every case of restless legs is neurological. When symptoms are confined to the legs, worsen at rest, and improve with elevation, an underlying venous cause is worth ruling out — many patients see real improvement after treatment.
Long-standing venous overload can overwhelm lymphatic drainage, producing swelling that no longer resolves overnight. Accurate diagnosis matters because the treatment pathways differ.
Persistent swelling, aching, skin changes, or
visible veins are signs to get evaluated.
Performed in our Atlanta offices, not a hospital.
Local numbing only — you stay awake and go home unsedated.
Typically the same or next day for desk work.
Medicare and most major plans cover medically necessary vein treatment.
Our physicians are fellowship-trained interventional radiologists. Image guidance isn’t an add-on to our practice — it is our practice. Every catheter, needle, and closure is placed under real-time ultrasound, which is what makes precision at this scale possible.
Anyone can inject a spider vein. If the reflux feeding it is never addressed, it comes back. We start every case with a standing duplex ultrasound and build the treatment plan from the top of the failing segment down — which is why our results hold.
Everything happens in our offices: evaluation, ultrasound, and procedure. No hospital registration, no pre-op clearance appointment, no anesthesia consult. Most patients complete their entire treatment across a handful of short visits.
| Treatment | Invasiveness | Recovery time | Anesthesia | Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endovenous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) WHAT WE DO | Minimally invasive | Next day | Local only | High |
| VenaSeal (medical adhesive) | Minimally invasive | Same day | Local only | High |
| Sclerotherapy | Non-surgical (injection) | Same day | None | High (spider / small veins) |
| Vein stripping surgery | Surgical | 2–4 weeks | General | High |
| Compression & medication | Non-invasive | Ongoing use | None | Limited (manages only) |
3225 Cumberland Blvd. Southeast
Suite 520
Atlanta, GA 30339
1975 Lakeside Pkwy
Suite 300
Tucker, GA 30084
1035 Southcrest Dr.
Suite 220 + 250
Stockbridge, GA 30281
Varicose veins are large, raised, ropelike veins caused by failed valves in the larger veins beneath the skin, and they typically cause physical symptoms. Spider veins are much smaller red or blue lines sitting just under the skin surface and are usually painless. They can occur together, and spider veins are sometimes the first visible clue that a larger vein underneath is refluxing.
While some people only dislike how varicose veins look, they are often a sign of underlying venous insufficiency. Left untreated, they can lead to worsening pain, swelling, skin discoloration, bleeding, blood clots, and slow-healing leg ulcers. An ultrasound evaluation tells us whether treatment is medically necessary.
Usually, yes. Medicare and most major insurers cover vein treatment when it is medically necessary — meaning you have documented symptoms, an ultrasound showing venous reflux, and a trial of conservative therapy such as compression stockings, typically for six to twelve weeks. Purely cosmetic spider vein treatment is generally not covered. Our team verifies your benefits and tells you what you’ll owe before anything is scheduled.
Most patients describe it as pressure rather than pain. The area is numbed with local anesthetic before the catheter or needle goes in, and the entry point is small enough that it typically doesn’t need a stitch. Mild soreness, tightness, or bruising along the treated vein for a few days afterward is normal and responds to over-the-counter pain relief.
Treated veins stay closed — once a vein is sealed and absorbed, it does not reopen. What treatment cannot change is your underlying genetics, so new veins can become symptomatic over time. This is far less likely when the original source of reflux was properly identified and treated, which is why we start with a complete ultrasound map rather than treating only what’s visible.
Yes, it’s safe. Your deep veins carry roughly 90% of the blood returning from your legs, and the superficial vein being treated has already stopped contributing — blood in a refluxing vein is falling backward, not moving forward. Closing it removes an obstacle and lets healthy veins do their work more efficiently.
Not for most plans. You can request an appointment with us directly. A few insurance plans require a referral from your primary care physician, and our team will tell you if yours is one of them when we verify your benefits.
Your insurance card, photo ID, a list of current medications, and any prior vascular imaging or records if you’ve been evaluated elsewhere. Wear or bring shorts — we’ll need access to your full leg for the ultrasound. Plan for about an hour.
Scheduling
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