When the valves in your veins do not work properly, this can lead to venous insufficiency or varicose veins, two issues that can affect your heath and cause uncomfortable symptoms. If you suffer from varicose veins or venous insufficiency near Houston, then your doctor may recommend a procedure called Venefit™ targeted endovenous therapy. Here’s what you can expect from this vein treatment.
Quick Answer: With the Venefit procedure, a form of radiofrequency ablation, you can expect a 45- to 60-minute office treatment under local anesthesia. A thin catheter placed through a needle stick heats and seals the faulty vein from the inside, and you walk out immediately afterward. Most people return to normal activities within a day or two, wear a compression stocking for a short period, and notice a pulling sensation along the vein during the first week. Leg aching and heaviness usually improve over the following weeks.
Meet your vein specialist
Dr. Syed Raza, MD
Vascular & Interventional Radiology · Founder, Premier Vein & Vascular Center
Fellowship-trained interventional radiologist certified by the American Board of Radiology and the Royal College of Radiologists (UK). Former Chief of Interventional Radiology at UTMB Galveston and Memorial Hermann Memorial City, with 15+ years treating varicose veins, venous reflux and peripheral arterial disease.
How the Procedure Is Performed
The Venefit™ treatment is conducted on an outpatient basis and is a minimally invasive form of segmental radiofrequency ablation. Venefit™ involves the insertion of a catheter into a diseased vein through a small incision that the doctor makes in the skin. The catheter uses radiofrequency energy to heat the vein’s walls. This process causes the collagen in the vein’s walls to contract, thereby closing and sealing the vein. During this procedure, you will feel several needle sticks while the area around the vein is being numbed. Once this numbing occurs, you will not feel the heat from the catheter. With the diseased vein closed off, blood flow is then diverted to healthy veins.
How You May Feel After the Procedure
After your procedure is complete, you doctor may advise a walking regimen to encourage healing, but might suggest that you avoid heavy lifting in the days following the procedure. Other than this, most patients can return to their normal activities on the same day as their procedure. Due to the Venefit™ treatment’s minimally invasive nature, most patients do not experience bruising, swelling, or scarring at the treatment site. However, depending on your age and other health conditions, you may have minor swelling or bruising.
How You May Feel After the Procedurehow Is the Venefit™ Procedure Different From Other Endovenous Thermal Procedures?
The most common thermal methods for treating venous insufficiency are radiofrequency ablation (Venefit™ procedure) and endovenous laser ablation. Although both techniques are equally effective at closing the vein and have similar risks, radiofrequency ablation only heats the vein to 120 degrees celcisus, vs. approximately 700 degrees Celsius for laser ablation. This results in less bruising and pain post procedure than laser techniques. Also, because of the segmental technique, radiofrequency ablation is a much more “controlled” burn when compared with the subjective pull back rates used in laser techniques.
What to Expect Following Your Procedure
The results from Venefit™ may not be immediate, and it typically takes between one and two weeks for patients to feel a difference in their legs. While all medical treatments come with some risks, those associated with Venefit™ are small, and long-term complications are rare. Talk to your Houston vein doctor to learn if Venefit™ could be right for you.
What the Venefit Procedure Treats
The Venefit procedure is a brand of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) designed for the long, straight superficial veins of the leg, mainly the great saphenous vein along the inner thigh and calf and the small saphenous vein at the back of the calf. When the valves in these veins fail, blood flows backward down the leg, pressure builds in the branches below, and those branches swell into varicose veins. Doctors call this backward flow reflux.
Closing a refluxing saphenous vein removes the source of that pressure. Patients often worry about losing a vein, but a vein that is refluxing is already working against the circulation rather than helping it. Most of the blood leaving the leg travels through the deep veins inside the muscles, and once the faulty surface vein is sealed, blood simply takes those healthier routes back to the heart.
Typical reasons to consider Venefit include:
- Aching, heaviness or tiredness in the legs that worsens through the day
- Ankle or lower leg swelling
- Night cramps or restless legs linked to vein reflux
- Bulging varicose veins fed by a refluxing saphenous vein
- Skin darkening, itching, eczema or hardened skin above the ankle
- A healed or open venous ulcer
Are You a Candidate for the Venefit Procedure?
The deciding factor is the ultrasound. Venefit is suitable when a duplex scan shows significant reflux in a saphenous or similar vein whose path is straight enough for the catheter to pass. Most adults with symptomatic reflux qualify, including older patients, because the procedure uses only local anesthesia.
We may recommend a different approach or delay treatment if you are pregnant, have an active deep vein thrombosis, cannot walk enough to keep blood moving afterward, or if the vein is very twisted, very close to the skin or partly blocked by old clot. In those situations, options such as non-thermal vein ablation or foam sclerotherapy may be better suited.
How We Evaluate Your Veins Before Venefit
- Focused history. We ask about your symptoms, how long you have had them, previous clots, pregnancies, medicines including blood thinners, and earlier vein treatment.
- Examination. We examine both legs standing, mapping varicose veins, swelling and skin changes, and check pulses in the feet.
- Venous duplex ultrasound. In our IAC-accredited vascular lab we map each vein segment, measure reflux and vein size, and check the deep veins for old or new clot. You can read more about this test on our venous ultrasound page.
- A clear plan. We explain which veins are responsible, whether Venefit is the best fit, whether additional treatment for branch veins is likely, and what your insurance may require first.
Preparing for Your Venefit Procedure
Preparation is simple. Eat a light meal beforehand unless you are told otherwise, drink plenty of water, and wear loose, comfortable clothing. Bring your compression stockings if they have been prescribed, or we will fit you. Tell us in advance about any blood thinners, diabetes medicines or allergies. Because only local anesthesia is used, many patients can drive afterward, but if you are offered a mild relaxing medicine you will need someone to take you home.
Step by Step: What Happens During Venefit
The procedure takes place in the office and usually lasts about 45 minutes to an hour from start to finish.
- Mapping. The vein is traced on the skin with ultrasound so its full length is marked.
- Access. After a small numbing injection, a needle and thin sheath are placed into the vein, usually near the knee or lower calf. Most patients feel only a pinch.
- Catheter placement. The radiofrequency catheter is advanced under ultrasound until its tip sits just below the junction with the deep vein.
- Tumescent anesthesia. Dilute numbing fluid is injected around the vein along its length. This numbs the area, squeezes the vein onto the catheter and creates a protective cushion between the vein and the skin and nerves.
- Treatment. The catheter heats the vein one short segment at a time, typically in 20-second cycles, and is moved down the vein between cycles until the whole refluxing length is treated.
- Finishing. The catheter is removed, a small bandage covers the entry point, and a compression stocking is put on. You then get up and walk.
Venefit Compared With Other Vein Closure Options
Radiofrequency ablation is one of several modern ways to close a refluxing vein. The best choice depends on the vein’s size, shape and location.
| Option | How it closes the vein | Tumescent numbing injections | Typically used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venefit (radiofrequency ablation) | Controlled heat in short segments | Yes | Straight saphenous veins |
| Endovenous laser ablation | Laser heat along the vein | Yes | Straight saphenous veins |
| Non-thermal ablation | Medical adhesive or mechanical-chemical action | Usually not needed | Veins near nerves or skin; patients wishing to avoid multiple injections |
| Varithena foam | Microfoam sclerosant injected under ultrasound | No | Twisted veins and branches |
| Ambulatory phlebectomy | Removes bulging branches through tiny nicks | Local only | Visible varicose branches, often after ablation |
Recovery After Venefit: A Practical Timeline
The first day
Walk for 10 to 20 minutes right after the procedure and several times during the rest of the day. Keep the compression stocking on as instructed. The numbing fluid wears off over a few hours, and you may notice a mild ache along the treated vein. Simple pain relievers usually take care of it.
The first week
Most patients return to work and normal daily routines within a day or two. A tight, pulling sensation along the inner thigh, sometimes most noticeable around days three to seven, is common and is a sign the vein is sealing and shrinking. Some tenderness and light bruising along the vein may appear. Avoid heavy lifting, intense leg workouts, long soaks in a bath or hot tub, and long flights unless we have discussed them. We usually perform a follow-up ultrasound within about a week to confirm the vein is closed and the deep veins are clear.
Weeks two to six
Leg heaviness and aching often continue to ease over this period. The treated vein becomes a firm cord under the skin that softens and fades over weeks to months. Bulging branch veins usually shrink because the pressure feeding them has been removed, but some remain visible and can be treated afterward with sclerotherapy or phlebectomy.
Long-term habits that protect your result
Once recovery is complete, a few habits help keep the rest of your veins healthy: walk daily, take movement breaks if you sit or stand for long stretches, keep a healthy weight, and consider compression stockings for long flights or long shifts. If new aching, swelling or bulging veins appear in later years, a quick ultrasound check can find new reflux early, when it is easiest to treat.
Possible Side Effects and How We Minimize Them
Serious complications after radiofrequency ablation are uncommon, but it helps to know what can happen:
- Bruising and tenderness along the treated vein, which fade over one to two weeks
- Superficial phlebitis, a tender, red, firm area over a branch vein, usually managed with walking, compression and anti-inflammatory medicine
- Numbness or tingling in a small patch of skin when a nearby sensory nerve is irritated, which usually improves over time
- Skin discoloration along the vein, usually temporary
- Clot extension from the treated vein toward the deep vein, or a deep vein thrombosis, which is rare and is why we check with ultrasound afterward
Careful ultrasound guidance, generous tumescent anesthesia, early walking and appropriate follow-up all reduce these risks.
Seek urgent care if, after your procedure, you have:
- Sudden or increasing swelling of the calf or whole leg with pain
- Chest pain, sudden shortness of breath or coughing up blood
- Bleeding from the access site that does not stop with firm pressure and elevation
- Fever, spreading redness or pus at the access site
Venefit and Varicose Vein Treatment in Houston
If tired, aching or swollen legs or bulging veins are getting in the way of your day, an ultrasound evaluation will show whether a refluxing vein is the cause and whether radiofrequency ablation is the right fix. Dr. Syed Raza is a fellowship-trained interventional radiologist with more than 15 years of experience treating varicose veins and venous reflux, and he performs these procedures in the office for patients across Houston and Katy.
If you are looking for a vein clinic in Houston that offers the full range of modern vein treatments, you can request an appointment or call (832) 321-5355. Same-week appointments are usually available, and most insurance plans, including Medicare, are accepted for medically necessary treatment.
Talk With a Specialist at Premier Vein
Have questions about your symptoms or treatment options? Dr. Syed Raza and the team at Premier Vein & Vascular Center can evaluate your concerns and explain your options clearly. Same-week appointments are usually available, and most insurance plans are accepted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Venefit procedure painful?
Most patients feel only the needle sticks used to numb the leg. Once the tumescent anesthesia is in place, the heat from the catheter is not felt. Afterward, a mild ache or pulling sensation along the treated vein is common and usually managed with over-the-counter pain relievers and walking.
How long do I wear compression stockings after Venefit?
Most patients wear a compression stocking for about one to two weeks after radiofrequency ablation, often continuously for the first day or two and then during the daytime. Your vein specialist will give you specific instructions based on the veins treated.
Can varicose veins come back after radiofrequency ablation?
A vein that has been successfully closed by radiofrequency ablation rarely reopens. However, vein disease is often a lifelong tendency, so new varicose veins can develop in other veins over time. Staying active and having periodic checkups helps catch any new reflux early.
How soon can I exercise after the Venefit procedure?
Walking is encouraged right away. Light exercise is usually fine after a few days, while running, heavy weight training and high-intensity leg workouts are typically avoided for about one to two weeks.
Do both legs get treated on the same day?
Often each leg is treated on a separate day, usually a week or more apart, which keeps the amount of local anesthetic within safe limits and makes recovery easier. In selected cases both legs may be treated in one visit.
Is Venefit covered by insurance?
Radiofrequency ablation is generally covered by most insurance plans, including Medicare, when it is medically necessary. That usually means you have symptoms, an ultrasound documents reflux in the treated vein, and in many plans you have tried compression stockings first.
Will I need more treatment after Venefit?
Some patients need nothing further, while others choose sclerotherapy or phlebectomy for bulging branch veins that remain visible after the main vein is closed. These follow-up treatments are usually short office procedures.
Trusted Health Resources
- Chronic Venous Insufficiency, Society for Vascular Surgery
- Venous Insufficiency, MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia (NIH)
- Varicose Veins and Spider Veins, MedlinePlus (NIH)