Varicose veins treatment pathway
The UK Veincentre (UKVC) treatment pathway on how to diagnose and treat all types of leg 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.
We have over a 99.5% success rate for varicose vein removal and fixing the underlying cause of varicose veins.
Consultation & scan
The consultation process itself consists of five stages, including a discussion with your consultant and a colour duplex ultrasound scan to identify the underlying cause of your vein issues. 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
In order to treat the source of your venous insufficiency and restore healthy blood flow to the legs, the most common primary treatment required is endovenous laser ablation (EVLA).
For patients with minor varicose or thread veins, EVLA treatment may not be needed and the primary treatment is likely to be foam sclerotherapy.
Follow up & Cosmetic Treatment
Once the source of your main vein problems has been fixed, the visible varicose veins (which branch off this source) may reduce in size. However, in order to achieve the desired cosmetic results, it is normal for further direct treatment to be needed. The vast majority of patients (over 99%) require some form of follow-up treatment for varicose vein removal.
The most common follow-up treatment required is foam sclerotherapy and/or microsclerotherapy for smaller veins. Your consultant will discuss the recommended options with you.
The follow-up appointment (and any cosmetic treatment) is usually around 6-8 weeks post EVLA treatment.
Cosmetic Finishing Touches
Around 10% of patients need to attend for further treatment after their initial follow-up.
This does not indicate that the first session of foam sclerotherapy injections has not worked; it is just that some patients require more than one treatment in order to treat all the visible veins. There is also a safety limit as to how much of the foam sclerosant can be injected in one session, so once the limit has been reached the clinician must stop injecting. If you do need more than one session there will be an additional fee.
Your consultant will discuss whether you need more than one follow-up treatment to complete the varicose vein removal and what the costs will be.
