Varicose veins: need to know

Tahir Hussain is a leading vascular surgeon with 25 years’ experience. He consults at London North West University Healthcare NHS
Trust and at The Private Clinic of Harley Street.

What are varicose veins?

“They’re swollen, bulging veins that can appear on your legs or feet and they happen when there’s a problem with the valve in your
veins,” says Hussain.

When a vein is healthy, your valves open and close to let blood through and pump blood to your heart.

“But when the valves stop working properly, when you stand up, the blood flows away from your heart, down towards your feet. Your
vein fills up with blood, causing those classic swollen, enlarged varicose veins,” he says.

Are varicose veins dangerous?

While they’re not life-threatening, Hussain argues that they shouldn’t be dismissed as a cosmetic concern. “It’s a big health issue but
with the financial constraints on the NHS, especially post-Covid, we’re not treating varicose veins as much as we should be,” he says. “If
your varicose veins are long-standing and you’ve had them for 40 or 50 years, you’ll get leg ulcers. You’re also at greater risk for blood
clots, so we absolutely should be treating them.”

What are the symptoms?

Varicose veins are usually purple or blue and they can look lumpy, bulging or twisted. “You might also get pain, achiness or heaviness in
your leg from the blood that’s collecting in your vein. The skin over your affected veins might also feel dry and itchy,” says Hussain.

Who gets varicose veins?

Some factors mean you’re more likely to get them. “Although I see far more women than men in my clinic, one landmark piece of
research, the Edinburgh Vein Study, found that more men have varicose veins than women. There’s also a genetic factor. Being
overweight, getting older or being pregnant also ramps the likelihood,” says Hussain.

That said, some women find that their veins improve or disappear post-childbirth. “If a woman comes to see me with varicose veins
during pregnancy, I tell her to leave it for a year or two after the birth and see then. Many women don’t return because their veins have
improved,” says Hussain.

Can crossing your legs make varicose veins worse?

“There’s no evidence for this. Factors that can make varicose veins worse include warm weather – it makes your veins dilate – and
standing a lot,” says Hussain. “If you’re a hairdresser or a king’s guard standing outside Buckingham Palace all day, you’re going to have
complications of varicose veins a lot earlier than someone in a desk-based job.” That’s because your blood doesn’t flow as easily when
you stand for long periods of time.

Are spider veins the same thing?

“No, spider veins aren’t varicose veins. These are broken veins, partly because of the ageing process once collagen decreases. Spider
veins don’t cause pain or other symptoms,” says Hussain.

What can you do to ease varicose veins?

“Compression stockings (about £25 from pharmacies) are key. I had varicose veins after years of standing performing surgery and used
them. They’re not particularly comfortable in summer but they relieve symptoms – they bring the walls of your vein together, the valve
starts working and the blood flows properly again,” says Hussain.

What treatment is out there?

“You might remember surgical stripping of varicose veins which used to be done decades ago. You’d be put to sleep under a general
anaesthetic and your veins are stripped out. It was cheap, but painful and the recovery was long and the chance of returning varicose
veins high. Now there are better, less invasive methods,” says Hussain.

As well as the treatments mentioned above [see Christina’s story] there are two other new treatments. First up, VenaSeal, AKA glue
treatment. “This involves one injection whereas with other treatments, such as EVLA, you need several injections which isn’t great if
you’re needle phobic,” says Hussain. “With VenaSeal, it’s glue that closes the vein rather than thermal damage. Think of it like pressing
two pieces of wood together with glue.”

Hussain is the principal investigator of a study into VenaSeal, involving over 1000 people. “The results will come out next year and I
think they’ll show that it’s as good as ablation and laser treatment,” he says.

There’s also endovenous microwave ablation (EMWA). It’s similar to laser treatments in that it destroys the varicose vein using heat – but
it has the advantage that it doesn’t give out light so you don’t have to take precautions like you do with a laser – for example, wearing
laser eye protection.

Can varicose veins come back after treatment?

They can. “About 5 per cent of people get some form of recurrence and this can happen even in the best hands. We’ve studied this and
we think that people form new varicose veins – blood finds a new path to go through. But normally, veins come back only slightly and
they don’t tend to be as bad and you can get them treated again.”

See the Full Article Here.

Varicose Vein treatment at The Private Clinic?

With over 40 years’ experience in offering the most advanced treatments, we are UK’s recognised, specialist varicose vein clinic group with locations in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Northampton and Leeds.

• We are able to offer some of the least invasive methods for varicose veins and thread veins for your legs, face and eyes.
• No lengthy downtime or recovery required.
• Our Consultant vascular surgeons are pioneers in EVLA (Endovenous Laser Ablation) and have treated thousands of patients.
• We focus on the underlying cause of your veins and you will only see a Consultant Vascular surgeon for varicose veins.
• The NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) Gold Standard for treatment of Varicose Veins findings shows that the success rate after five years for EVLA is 95.4%.
• A consultation with one of our Consultant Vascular Surgeons costs £200, including a free ultrasound scan of your legs (usually priced between £350 and £450 at most clinics and private hospitals).
• Treatment takes one hour; you can go home shortly after being treated.
• We have been featured in several TV shows and press including Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies, TLC’s My Naked Secret and have been recently featured in Harper’s Bazaar’s Cosmetic Tweakment Trends for 2019.
• We have been able to restore the confidence in many of our patients by avoiding health issues and achieving great results.
• View our extensive FAQs
• See our previous patient stories
• View varicose vein before and after photo results
• View our varicose veins blogs for more information
• Download our varicose vein treatment brochure

To find out more about vein procedures at The Private Clinic, please contact 0333 920 2471 or you can use our online contact form to request a callback.