When to Get Help with Varicose Veins

What are varicose veins?
Varicose veins are bulging, twisty veins that can appear unsightly and can cause symptoms such as pain, aching, itching and burning. They are caused by valves inside the veins not working as they should do, and rather than allowing the blood to only flow in one direction from the feet back up towards the heart, the valves sometimes fail and allow the blood to go back down through the veins, causing the blood to pool inside the vein. This leads to an increase in pressure, and over time the veins will bulge outwards.

Are there different types?
At Veincentre, we treat both varicose veins and thread veins. Some people have just varicose veins, some people may only have thread veins, whilst some people suffer with both.

When and why should you seek treatment for them?
The progression of varicose veins is slow, so there is no rush to have treatment, however the sooner you have the treatment done, the quicker you will see results. It is important to note that varicose veins won’t go away by themselves. If you suffer with symptoms such as aching, itching or burning, seeking treatment will resolve these symptoms fairly quickly.

Is there more than one way to treat varicose veins?
There are several treatments out there for varicose veins, however at Veincentre, we use Endovenous Laser Ablation, which is the gold standard treatment recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). This procedure is minimally invasive, being carried out under local anaesthetic, and carries a very high success rate, as opposed to surgical stripping for example, which is a more invasive surgical procedure with quite a high recurrence rate and a slower return to normal activities after treatment.

What is involved and is downtime required after treatment?
Initially, we would need to see you for a consultation and a colour duplex ultrasound scan of your leg veins. This scan will confirm whether or not there is an underlying valve problem inside the veins, and we can then create a treatment plan.

We use Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA) to treat the underlying cause of varicose veins. This works using heat to destroy the faulty valves, this in turn restores healthy blood flow back to the legs. Once the underlying cause has been treated, we will then treat the more visible varicosities, usually with foam sclerotherapy, and microsclerotherapy should there be any thread veins that you wish to have treated.

As the treatments are minimally invasive and walk-in, walk-out procedures, you will be able to return home after your treatment and get back to your daily life straight away. There is no need for any time off work, and we encourage patients to be as mobile as possible. 

Veincentre has over 15 clinics nationwide, and they are very excited to have opened their newest clinic in Newcastle, to provide specialist varicose vein treatment which is accessible to all. 

You can visit Veincentre Newcastle at Unit B1, Eagle House, Newcastle Business park, Asama Court, Newcastle NE4 7YD.

Their Head Office team are on always on hand to answer any questions you may have. If you would like to find out any further information, please visit their website, call the team on 0333 363 76 59 or contact by email on patientcare@veincentre.com.