What Kind of Doctor Treats Vein Disease?

If you have painful varicose or spider veins, you may be searching for a doctor who can help relieve your symptoms. The problem is that many doctors are unscrupulously advertising themselves as vein doctors so they can get a piece of the pie.  I just did a search for “vein doctor near me” and got 124,000,000 results.

How do you choose when radiologists, primary care doctors, general surgeons, and vascular surgeons all try to fob themselves off as vein specialists? 

The answer is that you need to go with a physician who is board certified in vein care.  That kind of physician is a Phlebologist.

But again, you run up against the problem that any physician can claim that he or she is a Phlebologist.  How can you be sure that person has the credentials needed to qualify as a true expert?

First, you should only go with a physician who is a diplomate of the American Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine.  You can think of this credential like you would think of a physician being board certified.  From their website:

“The American Board of Venous & Lymphatic Medicine (ABVLM) was established in 2007 to:

“Improve the standards of medical practitioners and the quality of patient care related to the treatment of venous disorders and all aspects of venous disease.

“Serve the public and the medical profession by establishing initial and continuing qualifications for certification and maintenance of certification as physician specialists in the practice of venous and lymphatic medicine.”

At present there are about one thousand physicians in the United States who have this certification.  In order to become a diplomate, the doctor has to go through a rigorous set of exams.

So, when you’re evaluating a doctor it is important to call and find out if that physician is a diplomate of the ABVLM.

But that’s not enough. 

You not only need to know if they passed this exam.  You also need to know if the doctor is experienced in treating vein disease.

The best way to evaluate this is to call the doctor’s office and find out how many vein procedures he or she has done.  If it’s not a thousand or more look for another doctor with the right amount of experience.

There is nothing wrong with having a general surgeon or radiologist do your vein procedures. However, a dedicated surgeon who is also a Phlebologist will bring a whole element of specialty care when treating your veins. 

At Vanishing Veins, Dr. Lori Greenwald is not only a vascular surgeon but she has specialized in vein care since 2003.  In that time, she has treated over 17,000 patients.  So, give us a call at 860-761-6666 to schedule your evaluation by Dr. Greenwald.  You’ll know that you’re in the right hands.