Fall signals time to consider varicose vein treatment

With the end of year quickly approaching and the holiday season around the corner, it is worth your time to spend a few minutes to review and understand the year-end limitations to receive your maximum medical benefit, especially if you have funds available in a Health Savings Account (HSA) and/or a Flexible Savings Account (FSA).

Both FSA and HSA accounts allow employees to use pretax income to save for qualified medical expenses, such as the medically necessary treatment of varicose veins.

If you have an FSA account, your contributions are about to expire. Any money left unused during this calendar year will be forfeited.

In the case of an HSA, the employee owns the funds. These dollars can be rolled over from year to year and can be used to pay for current as well as future qualified medical expenses.

Healthcare services or supplies for the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of an illness, injury, condition, disease, or its symptoms – and meet accepted standards of medicine – are considered medically necessary. Most vein treatments are necessary because these enlarged, ropey veins can cause a range of leg-related symptoms such as achiness, heaviness, tiredness, itching, numbness, burning, swelling, or cramping. Varicose vein sufferers are at risk for the development of a pulmonary embolism and leg ulcers.

Because vein treatment is a multi-step process, it can take days, if not weeks, to complete. Waiting too long to seek treatment could bring you too close to the year-end FSA deadline and the expiration of funds.

Fortunately, most varicose and spider vein treatments are quick, in-office procedures. The treatments are minimally invasive, generally take less than an hour and are virtually painless.

Although treatments require little to no downtime for recovery, some vein treatments result in minor swelling or bruising. Wearing long pants can hide these effects until they fade. Because sometimes compression stockings must be worn for a brief time to promote healing, undergoing treatment in the fall and winter means you can avoid wearing hot stockings during the warmer months.

Also, many of the vein treatments available involve the absorption of the diseased vein into your body, so the treated veins fade over time.

Are you ready to show off your healthy legs, increase your energy and reduce pain and discomfort? Dr. Van Cheng of the San Diego Vein Institute, a Harvard University educated medical doctor, specializes in treating venous concerns. Dr. Cheng is located at 336 Encinitas Boulevard, Suite 130, Encinitas, CA 92024. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (760) 944-9263 or visit www.sdveininstitute.com.