Varicose veins are enlarged, bulging, or gnarled blood vessels that sit just beneath the surface of the skin, typically appearing blue or purple on the legs, ankles, and feet.
They develop due to a structural failure inside your blood vessels:
The Role of Vein Valves: Normally, tiny one-way valves inside your leg veins work against gravity to pump blood back up toward your heart.
The Point of Failure: When your vein walls weaken, these fragile valves stretch and can no longer close properly.
The Result: Blood becomes sluggish, reverses direction, and pools in your lower limbs. This accumulated blood creates high internal pressure, causing the veins to swell, twist, and bulge outward.
Varicose veins often progress over time. Beyond the visible, rope-like appearance under your skin, they can cause a cluster of uncomfortable physical symptoms:
A heavy, tired, or achy feeling in your legs, especially after standing
Throbbing, muscle cramping, or localized swelling in your feet and ankles
Persistent itching or burning around the affected veins
Discolored, thickened skin or open, slow-healing sores (venous ulcers) near the ankles
Leaving advanced varicose veins untreated can lead to hidden complications. The persistent pressure and poor blood flow can cause painful skin changes, superficial inflammation, or even a higher risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)—a dangerous blood clot in the deep veins that can travel to the lungs and cause a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.
While varicose veins are highly visible and easily recognized during a routine physical exam, a true diagnosis requires looking deeper. At Memphis Vein Center, we don’t guess—we map.
In-Office Venous Ultrasound: Dr. Arcot utilizes painless, high-frequency sound waves to see detailed images of your venous system in real-time. This allows us to track exactly which valves are leaking, measure the severity of the blood pooling, and immediately rule out hidden, dangerous deep vein blood clots.
At Memphis Vein Center, we have left the days of painful surgical vein stripping behind. Dr. Arcot incorporates the latest techniques and devices backed by clinical medical trials to safely close diseased veins with zero hospital stays.
Depending on your unique evaluation, your treatment plan may include:
Conservative Therapies: Customized recommendations for lifestyle adjustments, physical activity, and medical-grade compression stockings to mechanically improve your lower-leg circulation.
Endovenous Thermal Ablation: A highly precise, minimally invasive procedure where Dr. Arcot guides a tiny catheter into the damaged vein, using gentle laser or radiofrequency energy to seal it shut. Blood is naturally and instantly rerouted to neighboring healthy veins.
Sclerotherapy: The injection of a specialized, gentle solution directly into spider veins or smaller varicose veins, causing them to safely close, turn into scar tissue, and gradually fade from view.
Microphlebectomy (Ambulatory Phlebectomy): The gentle removal of large, bulging surface veins through microscopic, freckle-sized entry points that require no stitches and leave virtually no scarring.
Because these modern procedures are performed right here in our office under local numbing, they offer minimal to no discomfort, virtually no downtime, and allow you to walk right out of our office and resume your day.
You don’t have to live with heavy, painful, or swollen legs. Contact Memphis Vein Center today to schedule your comprehensive varicose vein ultrasound evaluation with Dr. Arcot, or request your appointment online.
