It's estimated that about half of Americans, including a fourth of women have  visible varicose veins.  Not only can they be unattractive they  can also  lead to skin ulcers, infections and blood clots.  Now a doctor in our region offers an easier way to get rid of them.

Dr  Narayana Subramany, a vascular surgeon,  has  brought a VNUS Closure, a new procedure for removing varicose veins to the Ridgway area.
 
First the surgeon does ultrasound  to check, map and mark the damaged vein. Then  Dr. Subramany inserts a tiny catheter into the damaged vein.
 
The patient only needs local anesthesia, as Dr Subramany uses ultrasound to guide the device into the vein, where it releases radio-frequency energy. The thermal heat causes inflammation of the inside of the vein and it collapses.

Judy Trambley underwent VNUS Closure after years  on her feet as a nurse left her with painful and ugly varicose veins. Here's how she described the procedfure, "it's minimally invasive, the pain is minimal and the recovery is minimal , because there isn't any."  She said the pain from her varicose veins is gone and she's no longer afraid to show her legs in golf shorts or a bathing suit.

Patients need to wear compression stockings for several weeks after the procedure, but can resume their activities within about a day. In the conventional treatment, vein stripping, where doctors rip out the vein, recovery can take three to four weeks.