OUR DOCTORS

Augusta/Greensboro, GA

Dr. Benak is a board certified general surgeon who began focusing on venous disease and interventions in 1995. He has been performing the Venefit procedure since 2007 and sees patients in our Augusta office.

Dr. Benak is a native of Marietta, Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia where he completed his B.S. degree in biochemistry. He lives in Monroe, Georgia where he started his general and vascular practice in 2000. Over the last 12 years, he has served as Chief of Staff, Chief of Surgery, Director of Wound Care and Trauma Director at the new Clearview Medical Center.

Dr. Benak received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia, and completed his Residency at Carraway Methodist Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Benak is a Board Certified General Surgeon and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is highly trained and experienced in the most advanced surgical procedures used today.

Dr. Benak became interested in veins during his Residency and began focusing on venous disease, wound care and venous interventions in 1995. Dr. Benak loves the complexity of venous disease and the pathophysiology (functional changes that occur in the veins) which results from venous disease. This passion is what enables Dr. Benak to treat his patients with the most advanced techniques and the highest standard of care. He joined The Vein Guys™ in 2009, and is proud to be part of one of the most respected vein organizations in the country.

Hendersonville, TN

Dr. Swan is board certified in General Surgery, Vascular Surgery and Thoracic Surgery and applies his of the vascular system to treating vein disease. He sees patients in Hendersonville, Tennessee and has been performing the Venefit procedure since 2014.

Dr. Swan was born and raised in New Orleans, LA. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and anthropology from Tulane University. He received his medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans. He completed a General Surgery residency at St. Joseph Hospital in Houston, TX. Dr. Swan completed fellowships in Vascular and Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC.

Dr. Swan is board-certified in three specialties: He is board-certified in General Surgery and Vascular Surgery by the American Board of Surgery and is board-certified in Thoracic Surgery by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He is also actively involved in the American College of Surgeons, the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery, the Society for Vascular Surgery and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

Dr. Swan was Chief of Surgery at Hendersonville Medical Center from 2014 through 2015. He serves on local non-profit Board of directors for Salvus Center from 2016 to 2018 and United Way Sumner County from 2015 until 2021. Dr. Swan practices Vascular and Thoracic Surgery since 2005 in Nashville, TN and Hendersonville, TN currently as part of his private practice Swan Surgical, PLLC.

Dr. Swan enjoys community involvement including multiple student internship programs, beginning in 2006 to the present, across many Sumner County schools including Pope John Paul II HS, Beech Senior HS, Westmoreland HS, Merroll Hyde HS, and Station Camp HS. He is a key note speaker for the Sumner County School district’s drug and alcohol abuse prevention program since 2008. 2019 began his first year to serve as a mentor for the TN Achieves/TN Promise college scholarship program.

Outside of work Dr. Swan enjoys hobbies of sports photography, snow skiing with family, and vegetable gardening. Dr. Swan resides in Sumner County, TN with his wife, Kelly, and three daughters, Kathryn, Samantha and Charlotte. 

Dr. Swan was introduced to vein care and vein procedures during Vascular Surgery fellowship in 2002.

“Back during my fellowship in 2002 during the early stages for development of new devices to treat vein disease, I was initially skeptical of the treatment. Very quickly, I was amazed and overwhelmed by the consistent and rapid improvement in patient symptoms. I knew this would be a must in my practice as a vascular surgeon”

Hendersonville/Springfield/Clarksville, TN

Dr. Sanders is a board-certified general surgeon who has been treating complex vascular and vein diseases since 2005. He has been performing the Venefit, and other complex vein procedures, since 2008. He relocated to Tennessee from his home state of North Carolina and has been treating patients from the Hendersonville, Springfield, and Clarksville areas.

Dr. Sanders is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina. He attended Winston-Salem State University, where he completed his B.S. degree in Molecular Biology. Following undergrad, he earned his medical degree from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. He completed his General Surgery residency at Carilion Roanoke Memorial, University of VA Health System, in Roanoke, VA.

Dr. Sanders has had an active General/Vascular surgery practice in Tennessee since 2008. He has served on various hospital committees, been Chief of Staff, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for an HCA-affiliated regional hospital. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of multiple medical/surgical societies.

Dr. Sanders prides himself on the compassionate care and treatment of his patients. He believes that although the pathophysiology of vein disease may not be unique, all patients are unique.

"It is an honor to take care of patients, and I obtain such joy in making peoples' lives better. Relieving everyday pain and other symptoms caused by vein disease greatly changes a person's daily life for the better, and that provides me the ultimate sense of gratification!"

 Nashville/Hendersonville, TN

Dr. Fleming is a board certified plastic surgeon who began focusing in plastic surgery and venous disease in 1985. He sees patients in Nashville.

Dr. Philip Fleming is from Huntsville, Alabama. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in biology and a minor in chemistry. He opened his plastic surgery practice in Nashville, TN in 1985. He is a private pilot with instrument and multiengine ratings. When he is not helping patients, he enjoys aviation, golf and ice hockey.

Dr. Philip Fleming received his medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham and his General Surgery training at the Medical University of South Carolina. His plastic surgery residency was at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and he completed a Hand and Microvascular Surgery Fellowship at the University of Louisville Hospitals.

Dr. Fleming is a practicing Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery at Vanderbilt University. As an active member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, he keeps pace with new developments in the field. In addition, he is on staff at Centennial Medical Center and St. Thomas Midtown Hospital in Nashville, TN.

As a practicing plastic surgeon, Dr. Fleming began treating veins for cosmetic purposes. His patients frequently asked if he could help relieve their heavy, tired, achy, cramping leg symptoms, so he decided to add state-of-the-art vein care to his practice. He sought out The Vein Guys™ and became a part of our family.

Dr. Fleming’s focus is a comprehensive approach to vein care as well as cosmetic and plastic surgery. “Vein Guys and I are dedicated to professionally and personally serving our patients and establishing a positive outcome in all areas of care. I constantly strive to deliver high quality service by providing individualized patient care with systems in place that ensure privacy, safety and comfort.”

Tennessee

Pepper Hensley is a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Pepper is originally from Farragut, Tennessee where she graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelors of Arts in history. Later, returning to pursue her ultimate goal of a career in nursing, she received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Lincoln Memorial University in Knoxville. Afterwards, she accepted a position with Saint Thomas Joint Replacement Institute in Nashville area where she worked in post-operative care. 

During this time, Pepper continued with her educational aspirations and went on to join the Healogics nursing team while graduating with a Masters of Science in Nursing from Middle Tennessee State University. As wound care became her growing passion Pepper accepted a position with Healogics wound care clinic in Statesville, North Carolina in 2019 in her new role as Nurse Practitioner. Having spent two years there, she is experienced in providing treatment and care while addressing the attributing conditions leading to delayed wound healing.

Pepper continued her career in wound care providing consulting for inpatient, outpatient, and skilled nursing facilities in the greater Nashville area in need of advanced wound management for acute and chronic wounds. Having a background in wound care management she is experienced in diagnosis and treatment of vascular components including venous reflux disease.

“Having worked in wound care for almost seven years now I am excited to be expanding my practice and to have the ability to address the causation of wounds at the source. So many people are effected by venous disease and only seek to treat the visible symptoms of the disease without ever addressing the cause. Being able to help people feel better and improve is something I love doing and I look forward to continuing to do so with the Vein Guys.”

Tennessee

Mr. Elton obtained his Master of Physician Assistant Studies in Nashville Tennessee at Lipscomb University. He is board certified as a Physician Assistant, and completed his training as a PA in the Nashville area and parts of Kentucky.    

Mr. Matt Elton was born in Payson, Utah. He grew up in Corvallis Oregon, where he graduated high school and earned an associate's degree at the community college. He then went on to receive his bachelor's degree in neurobiology from Brigham Young University Idaho.   

Mr. Elton enjoys spending his free time with his wife and two beautiful girls outdoors adventuring. He loves being a dad. His hobbies are all sports-related either watching or playing, mountain biking, and hiking. He is active in the local church serving others and loves getting to know new people.