Varicose veins come in all shapes and sizes. In some people they can cause large grape like lumps, through to others that have spider or broken veins that show up as blue or red threads of veins.
Varicose veins appear when there is abnormal blood flow. Veins have valves inside that keep the blood flowing in the correct direction from your foot back up your leg and back to the heart. When the valves don’t work the blood is allowed to fall back down the leg and this causes bulging of the veins.
For many people this causes an unsightly appearance but some people experience aching, itching, restless legs or swelling in the legs. The most serious consequence of varicose veins is ulcers, but fortunately this is relatively uncommon. Symptoms are often worse at the end of the day, especially if you have been standing. Putting your feet up may help.
The older you are, being female or overweight makes you more likely to develop varicose veins. And pregnancy also increases your risk. Thread veins have been associated with other hormone changes and sun exposure.
Varicose veins can be diagnosed by seeing a Vascular Surgeon. You will be asked about the symptoms you have and in combination with an examination the diagnosis made.
If you have simple thread or spider veins, treatment can be suggested without further investigation. Otherwise you will need to have an ultrasound examination (also known as a doppler or duplex scan) to look at where the problem arises from and to ensure your deep veins are normal.
Thread veins can be treated by injection sclerotherapy. This involves injecting the thread veins with a very fine needle under magnification with a fluid that irritates the vein. This causes the vein to scar and disappear.
Varicose veins can be treated with compression stockings and advice, but most people find these uncomfortable and this treatment does not help the visual appearance.
Additionally, some people should not wear compression stockings and so a surgeon should always assess you prior to using them. Modern techniques now allow the vast majority of varicose veins to be treated with keyhole surgery under local anaesthetic. This allows patients to have walk-in walk-out treatment and a rapid return to normal activities. NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) calls the keyhole, endo-venous ablation, the gold standard of treatment.
Varicose veins are not a condition you have to suffer in silence with. There are many simple and effective options available.
The Varicose Veins Clinic at Parkside Outpatients
For quotes and further details of the services offered please contact 0800 0209511 or email: fhft.privatevascularsecretaries@nhs.net or visit www.thevaricoseveinsclinic.co.uk.
Our competitively priced clinics are available to self funding patients.