What to Expect At Your Visit
When you arrive at the Vein Institute at Advanced Therapies, you will register at the front desk. You will then be guided to one of our comfortable procedure and consultation rooms where you will be seen by a physician and most likely have an ultrasound. In some cases, we utilize other state-of-the-art technologies to visualize problematic veins, all of which are painless and noninvasive. After the examination, the findings and treatment options will be clearly explained to you, allowing you to make the proper, most educated decision for treatment.

Preparing for Your Initial Varicose Vein Consultation
For your initial consultation, we ask that you fill out and bring with you the Varicose Vein Questionnaire if you have not previously completed it in our office. Once you arrive and check in, you will be asked to change into a gown and have an ultrasound performed on your leg while standing in one of our comfortable consultation rooms. This ultrasound will allow our technician to evaluate the size of the main veins that cause varicose veins, and then determine if they are functioning properly. The physician will then discuss with you all of the relevant background information, show you a short video to explain what is wrong with the veins, and discuss all the risks and benefits of different treatment options. We will then determine which treatment option, if any, is right for you.

Preparing for Your EVLT Procedure
Please arrive at our office 20 minutes before your scheduled procedure. We also ask that you bring your compression stockings with you. To prepare for EVLT, you should avoid taking Aspirin and ibuprofen products (Advil, Motrin, Aleve) for 7 days prior to your procedure in order to minimize bruising and bleeding. While you should not shave your legs or apply moisturizer the day of or day prior to the treatment, , it is important to wash the leg with antibacterial soap the morning of the procedure. It is also important to wear loose-fitting pants and loose shoes to allow room for thick bandages and compression garments.

Preparing for Your Spider Vein Consultation
At your initial consultation for cosmetic sclerotherapy for spider veins, we ask that you please fill out and bring with you the Spider Vein Questionnaire. Once you arrive, you will be asked to change into a gown and have an ultrasound performed on your leg while standing. This is done to ensure that there is no larger underlying problem with your bigger veins. After confirming no underlying problems and discussing your goals and expectations for treatment, the physician will discuss cosmetic sclerotherapy in detail prior to performing the procedure.



Preparing for Spider Vein Treatment
Using a very fine needle, a medication called a sclerosant is directly injected in to the spider veins, causing the lining of injected veins to become irritated. Over time, the veins close down and the body absorbs these nonfunctioning vessels. Many times, spider vein treatment requires multiple sessions of sclerotherapy.

To prepare for cosmetic sclerotherapy, you should avoid taking Aspirin and ibuprofen products (Advil, Motrin, Aleve) for 7 days prior to the procedure to minimize bruising and bleeding. You should also not shave your legs or apply moisturizer the day of or day prior to the treatment. However, it is important to wash the leg with antibacterial soap the morning of the procedure.

Finally, steroids such as Prednisone also decrease the effectiveness of the sclerosing agent, and if possible should be discontinued 48 hours prior to the sclerotherapy, only if deemed safe by your physician. Also, specific antibiotics such as Tetracycline and Minocycline, may cause a staining or hyperpigmentation of the skin if taken 7 to 10 days before or after sclerotherapy. Please let us know if you are taking any of the above medications prior to your arrival.

It is also important to wear loose-fitting pants and loose shoes to allow room for thick bandages and compression garments. (Please bring your compression stockings with you to the procedure.)

Preparing for Your Free Vein Screening
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment to allow time for registration and to fill out a short questionnaire about your health history and varicose vein symptoms. We will then bring you in to one of our consultation rooms where our physicians will ask you a few questions and perform an ultrasound of your legs. Should you be a candidate, we will encourage you to make an appointment for a consultation and full evaluation, where we will perform a complete and thorough ultrasound evaluation and discuss all treatment options.