Dr. Pittman and his staff of Vein Care Specialists at our vein clinics in the Tampa Bay area have successfully helped over 15,000 patients nationwide get the relief they deserve from vascular disease and venous disease. Stop living with lifestyle-limiting and life-shortening symptoms.
Everybody knows what a varicose vein is. It’s a bulging vein on the skin, but the truth is, half of people with lifestyle-limiting symptoms in their legs have no bulging varicose veins, so I don’t like to refer to what I do as fixing varicose veins because we’re going to miss half the patients, Dr. Pittman explains. Venous insufficiency is really where our valves and our veins fail, and when they fail, the blood goes the wrong way. I often introduce myself as Dr. Pittman, the Plumber guy because vein disease is a leak in the attic, flood in the basement.
Vein disease causes all sorts of symptoms. It’s the leading cause of ankle swelling in this country; three out of four people that come through my office door have detectable swelling. It’s a leading cause of restless legs, which affects eight percent of Americans. It’s the leading cause of night cramps. So again, that’s why I try not to talk so much about varicose veins because we’re going to miss a lot of suffering patients out there if we only talk about varicose veins. At our vein center, we focus on comprehensive vein treatment in Tampa to address all these symptoms.
Our Tampa vein doctors are dedicated to providing top-notch varicose vein treatment in Tampa and its surrounding areas. Whether you need a consultation at our vein clinic or a full treatment plan at our vein treatment center, we are here to help. Trust our vein doctor serving Tampa to diagnose and treat your vein problems effectively.
In your leg, you have two sets of veins. They are called deep veins and superficial veins.
Deep veins are in the deeper part of the leg where the muscles are, and superficial veins are right under the skin.
In a normal person, the blood would circulate from the feet towards the heart in both sets of veins.
When someone has a venous insufficiency the blood will actually go up the deep veins and then go backwards into the superficial vein.
The blood will start pooling in the superficial veins.
Since the superficial veins are closest to the skin, they will start to bulge and create varicose veins. They are often bluish or purple in color.
Spider Veins are essentially a smaller version of varicose veins. They are red, purple, and blue vessels that are also twisted and turning. They are most often seen on the legs, chest, or face.
No. Varicose veins can occur deeper in the leg, where one can’t see them. Varicose veins are classified under the spectrum of venous insufficiency disease.
Venous insufficiency disease causes leg discomfort, swelling of the ankles and leg, itching, and weariness. Other signs and symptoms may be prickling, cramping, aching, and heaviness of the lower limbs after prolonged standing.
Keep an eye out for these symptoms besides simply visible veins.
In short, no. Exercise and compression stockings may help reduce some of the symptoms of varicose veins, but usually only medical treatment can effectively get rid of a varicose vein.
Progression of varicose veins can be dangerous as they may later become venous ulcerations. When left without treatment, complications may ensure including rashes, infections, bleeding, sores, and blood clots.
In rare cases, varicose veins can cause deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism which is life-threatening.
Most major insurance and many others… Please give us a call.
1) Consult – We first start you with a consultation where you will be listened to and encounter a friendly staff that will make sure you get the best care. That care will come from Dr. Chris Pittman and his expertly trained team, and will include a provider and an ultrasonographer on the first visit.
2) Ultra Sound – After the consult, we move on to the assessment where we provide you an accurate diagnosis. You will get the same day ultrasound and results on site while you see the provider. This will get you back to life as swiftly as possible.
3) Treatment Plan – After we conclude our assessment, we will provide you with a treatment plan.
There are many different options such as Endovenous Laser Therapy (EVLT), Sclerotherapy, ClosureFast, VenaSeal™, Clarivein®, Microphlebectomy and more. We will ensure you get the perfect customized treatment based on your needs and outcome goals.
It is normal to have some minor discomfort during the procedure. We will do everything that we can to make this as relaxing and comfortable of an experience as possible. After the procedure, patients may experience minor bruising or discomfort in the area of the treated vein, that normally resolves in 3-4 weeks. Overall, patients report via minimal pain / discomfort and are able to go back to doing the things they love.
Patients usually return to work and activities the very same day.
Very little downtime is needed for our treatments.
Monday - Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Phone: 855-834-6911
Fax: 813-443-5600