Your physician and an interventional radiologist can best determine if you are a candidate for the procedure. Enlarged and swollen blood vessels commonly associated with varicose veins can also cause vein pain and impaired walking that can generally worsen as the day goes on. In more severe cases darkening of the skin can occur. Compared to traditional “vein stripping” techniques, venous ablation is effective, has fewer negative outcomes (up to 95% success rates), leaves virtually no scars and has much less pain during recovery.