Vein Treatments

One in five adults suffer from those lumpy blue vascular knots on their legs. They avoid wearing shorts or sporting clothes and are also bothered by the dull ache and tiredness that sometimes comes after being on your feet all day. Swollen , puffy feet and ankles can be another problem.

What causes Varicose Veins?

Unfortunately there's no real sure-fire way of preventing them if you're genetically inclined to developing them. If your parents had them, you probably have a 70% chance of developing them. Women are also more prone to developing them during or after pregnancy. The only real way of avoiding them is to choose your parents carefully!

Can they be treated and how?

There are many ways to eradicate them, depending on whether they are the big, bulging type of veins (varicose veins) or the thin threadlike veins (spider veins/ broken capillaries).

Varicose veins can be visualized very well by using Doppler ultrasound and the extent of the problem is mapped in this way in each leg. This map can then be used to treat only the affected veins.

At Skintegrity we treat these veins by injecting a sclerosant into the affected veins in order to cause these sick veins to "dry up". This procedure also utilizes the Doppler ultrasound for guidance in order to prevent injection outside of veins or into arteries. The treatment is completed in about 45 minutes and does not require any anaesthetic.

What about after care?

A firm stocking is applied and people walk out of the treatment room to go for the first of their daily walks. The stocking is worn on the treated leg for one or two weeks after the treatment.

Are there any side effects?

Side-effects are usually minimal and the treated veins gradually disappear over the ensuing month or two. Side-effects are rare but, as with anything connected to the medical sciences, cannot be excluded, and results could vary from person to person. We will be happy to discuss individual risks with each interested client.

How successful is this method of treatment?

Treatment success is in line with surgical stripping of the veins, but without the requirement of general anaesthetic or hospitalisation. About 20% could require another treatment within 5 years.

What about Spider Veins?

Spider veins/broken capillaries are more of a nuisance than a real medical problem. They are occasionally connected to the larger varicose veins. The spider veins are treated by injection under direct vision and are usually done as an office procedure.

Additional Varicose Vein Information