If you are suffering from varicose veins, you likely feel a sense of hesitation when a doctor suggests “sealing them shut” or removing them entirely. After all, your veins are the highways that carry blood from your extremities back to your heart. It’s natural to worry that blocking these paths will cause a “traffic jam” in your legs.
However, the reality of Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) is that your varicose veins are already failing at their job. Instead of helping blood move upward, they are allowing it to pool and flow backward toward your ankles. By eliminating these dysfunctional vessels, we aren’t stopping your circulation; we are redirecting it to the highways that actually work.
Anatomy 101: The Superficial vs. Deep Vein Systems
To understand how blood flow is rerouted, we have to look at how your legs are built. Your lower extremities feature two distinct but connected systems of veins that run in parallel.
1. The Superficial System
These are the veins located just beneath the surface of the skin. They are responsible for handling only about 10% of the total blood flow from your legs. When these veins become “varicose”, they are the ones we target for treatment.
2. The Deep System
The deep veins are located deep within your leg muscles, usually following the path of your leg bones. This system is the “heavy lifter” of your vascular health, responsible for carrying approximately 90% of the blood back to your heart. These veins are supported by your powerful calf muscles, which act as a pump every time you take a step.
The Power of Redundancy: How Perforating Veins Save the Day
The magic of your anatomy lies in a third set of vessels called perforating veins. Think of these as “on-ramps” or “connectors” that bridge the gap between the superficial system and the deep system.
Your legs are filled with these short, horizontal veins. This creates a high level of vascular redundancy, meaning your body has multiple backup plans for moving blood.
What Happens During Ablation?
When Dr. Greenwald performs a procedure called Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA), she seals a diseased superficial vein shut. Here is the play-by-play of what happens inside your leg:
- The Seal: The diseased vein is closed using gentle heat.
- The Backup: Blood naturally begins to back up behind the closure point.
- The Reroute: As the blood “backs up,” it immediately reaches the nearest perforating vein (the on-ramp).
- The Heavy Lifting: The perforator vein shunts that blood directly into the deep vein system.
- The Result: The blood joins the 90% of flow already moving efficiently through the deep veins, and your heart receives the blood it needs without the “toxic” backflow of a leaky varicose vein.
Will My Deep Veins Get Overloaded?
This is a valid concern, but the answer is a resounding no. Your deep veins are significantly larger and more robust than your superficial veins.
Because the superficial system only handles a tiny fraction of your total blood flow, the deep system can absorb that extra 10% without even “breaking a sweat.” In fact, your deep veins actually function better once the varicose veins are removed. This is because they no longer have to fight against the “reflux” (backward-flowing blood) that was constantly leaking down from the diseased surface veins.
The Vanishing Veins Approach: Specialized Precision
Redirecting blood flow is a delicate process that requires expert mapping. Our vein specialists in Enfield don’t just “guess” where your blood should go; we prove it through advanced diagnostics.
Why Dr. Lori Greenwald’s Expertise Matters
Treating veins is as much an art as it is a science. As a board-certified vascular surgeon and a Diplomate of the ABVLM, Dr. Greenwald has spent over two decades specializing in these rerouting techniques. Having treated over 17,000 patients, she understands that every leg has a unique “road map.”
If a vein is closed incorrectly, or if a “source” vein is missed, the blood won’t reroute effectively. Dr. Greenwald’s surgical background makes sure that your circulation is optimized for long-term health, not just a temporary cosmetic fix.
Services to Optimize Your Circulation
At Vanishing Veins, we offer a full suite of services designed to make sure your blood is always moving in the right direction:
- Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA): Our preferred method for sealing “source” veins with minimal discomfort and maximum efficiency.
- Microphlebectomy: For the physical removal of bulging surface veins that are no longer contributing to healthy flow.
- Ultrasound-Guided Sclerotherapy: This allows us to find and close hidden “feeder” veins that are causing blood to pool in your lower legs.
- Vascular Mapping: Using high-definition ultrasound to visualize your perforating veins and make sure the deep system is healthy enough to handle the rerouted flow.
The Benefits of Eliminating Varicose Veins
Once the diseased veins are eliminated and the blood is rerouted, patients often experience a “lightness” in their legs that they haven’t felt in years.
By treating your varicose veins, you can expect:
- Reduced Swelling: Blood is no longer pooling at your ankles.
- Elimination of Pain: The pressure of “venous hypertension” is lifted.
- Prevention of Ulcers: Skin health improves when it is no longer starved of fresh, oxygenated blood.
- Decreased DVT Risk: Moving blood is healthy blood; stagnant blood in a varicose vein is a clotting risk.
Trust Your Legs to a True Specialist
Varicose veins are essentially “broken pipes” in your body’s plumbing system. You wouldn’t leave a leaking pipe in your home just because you were worried about where the water would go; you would call a plumber to redirect the flow into functional pipes.
Your vascular health deserves that same logical approach. Don’t let the “anatomical wonders” of your body go to waste by living with diseased veins.
Start Your Journey to Better Circulation
If you’re ready to see how your circulation can improve, let the team at Vanishing Veins show you the way for vein treatment in Canton. We provide a compassionate, medical-first environment where your safety and comfort are our top priorities.
Contact Vanishing Veins today to schedule your complete evaluation with Dr. Lori Greenwald. See for yourself why we are the region’s leader in vascular excellence.
This post was updated 2/18/26.
