Thread veins treatment pathway
The UK Veincentre (UKVC) treatment pathway on how to diagnose and treat thread veins is based on the successful model from Veincentre Ltd in the UK, where most of our consultants work and which is recognised by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK.
The process is slightly different for thread veins on the legs or thread veins on the face.
Thread veins on the legs
Consultation & scan
Thread vein treatment starts with a consultation. During this, your consultant will perform a colour duplex ultrasound scan on your legs. This is the only way to accurately exclude an underlying cause for the visible veins prior to treatment.
The consultation process itself consists of five stages, including a discussion with your consultant and a colour duplex ultrasound scan to identify whether there is an underlying cause for your thread veins. You will then be given a recommended treatment plan and quotation, together with your consultation report.
Once you’ve had an opportunity to consider this information and ask any questions you might have, you’ll be able to book your treatment with us.
Primary Treatment
The primary treatment required for thread veins on the legs is usually microsclerotherapy. If the veins are slightly larger, your consultant may recommend foam sclerotherapy.
The majority of our patients, who present with thread veins rather than varicose veins, do not have an underlying cause for their vein issues. If an underlying valve problem is found, we’ll recommend that you follow our varicose vein treatment pathway.
Follow up & further treatment
Depending on the extent of your veins and how you respond to your initial sclerotherapy session, you may need to return for further treatment.
It’s common to need more than one treatment session. Most of our patients need two to four sessions to completely resolve the visible varicosities.
We recommend waiting 4-6 weeks between each treatment session. This allows you time to heal and to see the results, before you decide whether you would benefit from further treatment. It’s important to note that it might take some time to fully resolve all of your thread veins.
Thread veins on the face
Photograph review and screening questions via email
Please email photographs of your face veins to info@uk-vc.com together with answers to our screening questions (below) to confirm your suitability for thermocoagulation treatment.
The screening questions are as follows:
- Do you have a pacemaker?
- Are you epileptic?
- Are you allergic to zinc?
You can also ask any questions you have about the treatment at this stage; our clinic team are on hand to answer any questions you may have.
Consultation and initial treatment
Once the photos have been reviewed and eligibility has been confirmed, you will have a face-to-face consultation to go through your medical history and what to expect of the procedure. You’ll have a chance to ask any final questions and your treatment will then be carried out at the same appointment.
Further treatment sessions (if required)
Depending on the extent of your facial thread veins, you may need to return for further treatment. The majority of our patients require two sessions to completely remove their visible face veins.
