What is VenaSeal™?
Your leg veins have tiny one-way valves that keep blood moving up toward your heart. With varicose veins, those valves weaken, blood pools, and the veins bulge, ache, and swell. About 1 in 3 adults develop varicose veins at some point.
VenaSeal seals the faulty vein shut with a few drops of medical adhesive. Blood simply reroutes to nearby healthy veins and your symptoms ease. There's no heat, no vein stripping, and no compression stockings to wear afterward.
The short version
Before & after, a patient we treated
What makes VenaSeal different
A few reasons our physicians reach for it, and why patients feel the difference.
No heat used
No tumescent anesthesia
Less pain & bruising
No compression stockings
How VenaSeal works, step by step
A quick, in-office procedure: most people are in and out in about 20 minutes.
Numb and access
Place the adhesive
Seal it shut
Reroute and finish
The adhesive
What the adhesive actually is
VenaSeal uses a specially formulated medical adhesive (n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate), from the same family of skin-safe adhesives used to close surgical incisions. On contact with blood it gently sets and seals the vein closed, with no heat involved. Over time your body forms natural tissue around it, keeping the vein permanently sealed while blood reroutes through healthy veins.
VenaSeal vs. laser treatment
Both close the faulty vein. How you get there, and how it feels, is where they differ.
VenaSeal™
What we doHow the vein closes
A drop of medical adhesive seals it shut
Numbing needed
One small injection
Heat inside the vein
None
Compression stockings after
Not needed
Heat-related nerve irritation
Risk avoided entirely
Back to your day
Right away for most patients
Laser ablation (EVLT)
How the vein closes
Heat from a laser fiber burns it closed
Numbing needed
A series of numbing injections along the leg
Heat inside the vein
Yes
Compression stockings after
Usually worn for days to weeks
Heat-related nerve irritation
Possible along the lower leg
Back to your day
Usually within a day or two
Laser ablation remains a safe, effective treatment; the right choice depends on your veins. Your specialist will recommend the best fit at your screening.
Proven safe. Proven effective.
Findings from the five-year VeClose study, one of the longest-running trials of its kind.
vein closure at five years
would choose VenaSeal™ again at five years
improvement in symptom scores (VCSS) at five years
Source: Morrison N, et al. Five-year extension of the VeClose randomized trial (cyanoacrylate closure vs. radiofrequency ablation). J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord. 2020. Reported via Medtronic, the manufacturer of VenaSeal™. Individual results vary.
See real results
With 5,000+ vein cases treated at Empire Vein & Vascular, here are real outcomes from patients we’ve treated.
Photos of actual Empire Vein & Vascular patients. Individual results vary.
What recovery actually looks like
One of the biggest reasons patients choose VenaSeal is the recovery. Because there's no heat and no tumescent anesthesia, most people are back to their normal day quickly. Here's the typical timeline.
Day of
Walk out and go
Most patients drive themselves home and return to light, everyday activity the same day. No hospital stay and no overnight recovery.
First 1–2 days
Back to your routine
Resume work and normal activities right away. Your doctor may suggest a short break from strenuous exercise and long flights.
First few weeks
Symptoms start to ease
As the treated vein seals and blood reroutes to healthy veins, the aching, heaviness, and swelling typically improve.
Long term
A lasting result
Your body gradually absorbs the closed vein. Five-year studies show a 94.6% closure rate.
Every patient heals differently and individual results vary. Your physician will give you aftercare instructions tailored to you. Five-year closure data: Morrison N, et al., VeClose study, reported via Medtronic.
Why choose Empire Vein
With VenaSeal, experience matters.
Empire Vein & Vascular was one of California's earliest VenaSeal providers. Since 2016, our vascular specialists have treated everything from everyday varicose veins to complex vein disease. VenaSeal is advanced technology, but results still depend on the specialist performing it. Trust your legs to one of Southern California's most experienced VenaSeal teams.
10
Years of VenaSeal experience
25,000+
VenaSeal procedures performed
Book a free vein screening
The visit takes about 15 minutes. A quick, painless ultrasound pinpoints the problem. Then your specialist explains your diagnosis, lays out your options, and answers every question.
No cost, no pressure, and no referral needed. If treatment makes sense, we verify your insurance before anything is scheduled.
How to prepare
Wear loose, comfortable clothing
Skip lotions and moisturizers
Don't shave your legs beforehand
Bring your insurance card and photo ID
Have your medication list handy
VenaSeal questions, answered
The things patients ask us most before getting started.
VenaSeal™ is an advanced, FDA-approved treatment for varicose veins that uses a medical adhesive to gently close the faulty vein. Blood naturally reroutes to healthy veins nearby, and your symptoms ease. It's minimally invasive, done in-office, and gives immediate results.
Healthy leg veins have one-way valves that move blood up toward the heart. In varicose veins those valves weaken, so blood pools and the veins bulge and ache. VenaSeal seals the weakened vein with a small amount of medical adhesive; blood then naturally reroutes to nearby healthy veins. That's what eases your symptoms.
If you have aching, swelling, heaviness, cramps, itching, or visible bulging veins, you may be a candidate. The best way to know is a free vein screening. We do a quick, painless ultrasound at every screening, so your specialist can see exactly how your veins are working and walk you through a personalized plan.
Most patients feel little to nothing during the procedure. It uses a single injection of local numbing medicine, not the series of numbing injections along the leg that heat-based treatments require.
Many plans cover VenaSeal when treatment is medically necessary. We accept IEHP, Medicare, and most PPO and HMO plans. After your free vein screening, our team verifies your exact benefits and explains any costs up front.
Many patients return to their normal day right after the procedure. Your doctor will give you specific guidance based on your treatment.
VenaSeal sets on contact with blood and seals the vein. Over time your body forms natural scar tissue around it, keeping the vein closed for good.
Yes. The VenaSeal adhesive has a long track record in medicine, and long-term studies show very strong safety results: zero cases of DVT or PE over five years in the main study. Rare complications such as an allergic reaction, inflammation, or phlebitis (inflammation of the treated vein) can occur, and your specialist will review the risks and benefits with you.
Book your free vein screening.
A 15-minute visit with a quick, painless ultrasound, clear answers, and a plan. Available at any of our 6 Southern California offices.