Venous Conditions

Varicose Veins

Why Do I Get Varicose Veins
Varicose veins develop because the valves in the veins fail and become incompetent. This leads to blood filling and stretching the veins and they stand out from the skin. An ultrasound is used to look at where the valves are incompetent, usually in the saphenous veins from the groin or behind the knee and sometimes from perforating veins from the deep vein system.

Can I have the Varicose Veins Removed
The treatment of spider and varicose veins involves the destruction or removal of these veins using many different techniques. The best technique for the treatment of your veins will depend on the size of the veins and the extent and source of pressurisation, in other words which valves are not working to cause the veins to enlarge and fill with blood.

What can be Done About My Varicose Veins
With injection treatment a fine needle is used to inject sclerosant, a chemical that closes off the veins in the skin. Both fine spider veins and medium to large varicose veins can be treated. For larger the veins and more extensive veins, more treatments will be required over a longer period. Sometimes it may be better to perform surgery to remove larger veins first before tidying up the smaller vessels with injections to achieve the best cosmetic result.

Surgery is used when there is pressure leaking back through from the deep high pressure veins to the saphenous low pressure surface veins. This treatment involves firstly sealing the site of pressure by a small cut, removing the lumpy veins in the leg and then stripping the saphenous vein in the thigh to reduce the chances of veins coming back in the future.

Other invasive treatments such as Laser, Radiofrequency and Glue can be used to close the saphenous vein. These treatments then may need injections or surgery to remove the lumpy veins to achieve the best cosmetic result.