In order to work properly, veins are equipped with valves that help our blood flow in the correct direction without backtracking, but when those valves fail, then Thread and Varicose Veins can form.
The easiest way to understand how veins work is by comparing them to trees.
The largest vein in your body connects straight to the heart and is known as the vena cava. There are two of them, the superior one, which carries blood from the upper body, and the one we’re interested in, which carries blood from the legs – the inferior vena cava.
The femoral vein is connected to the inferior vena cava and is the longest vein in your body, spanning the length of both your legs. These are paired with an artery and lie deep within groups of muscles. They are connected to superficial veins by perforator veins, which are an essential part of the blood drainage system.
Superficial veins like the saphenous veins are the ones that lie closest to the skin and are subject to becoming varicose. They carry less blood than deep veins and play an important part in cooling the body. These veins become varicose when their valves stop functioning properly, causing blood to pool and the vein to become large and swollen.
Varicose Veins are usually blue or purple, with a torturous, raised pattern. They can become itchy, cause you discomfort when walking and they can also be painful. Despite the limitations they can impose on a person, the NHS won’t usually treat them despite a change in guidelines in 2013, but in 10% of cases, those who leave their Varicose Veins untreated end up developing venous ulcers, which cause chronic leg wounds and can be rather painful.
The smallest of superficial veins that extend from far larger ones are known as Thread Veins or Spider Veins. These are tiny blood vessels that often appear in blue and red clusters of thin lines. They aren’t raised like Varicose Veins and since they don’t hurt, their removal is often seen as a cosmetic procedure. However, the Edinburgh Vein Study (2000) showed that 30% of those with Thread Veins ended up developing Varicose veins.
Varicose Vein Treatments
In fact, the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) changed its guidelines in July 2013 to recommend for Vein Stripping (75.7% success rate) to only be used in rare cases, and that instead, such veins should preferably be treated by EVLA (95.4% success rate), which stands for Endovenous Laser Ablation.
During the procedure, a very thin laser-tipped fibre is inserted and guided through your veins to the very edge of the unhealthy one. As the fibre is pulled back, the laser tip works to collapse the vein’s walls so that the whole of it is eradicated all the way down to its deep vein source. By removing that whole branch completely to ensure that the trunk only directs nourishment to the remaining healthy branches – thus nipping the problem right in the bud.
At The Private Clinic we also offer VenaSeal treatment which uses a medical adhesive to close varicose veins. This is a great treatment for patients who have a needle phobia as VenaSeal only requires a single injection per vein. An ultrasound is used to guide the small catheter through the affected veins which dispenses small amounts of medical grade Sapheon Glue. The vein will then close and be gradually absorbed by the body.
We also have foam scelerotherapy and phelebectomy treatments available for those that are not suitable for EVLA or VenaSeal treatments.
Thread Vein Treatments
Thread Veins are too small for this kind of treatment and instead Sclerotherapy or laser treatments such as CoolGlide or Intense Pulsed Light treatment (IPL) are used. Sclerotherapy involves injecting a solution into the small veins to force them to collapse while thread vein laser treatment directs intense light at thread veins which causes the blood within them to coagulate and divert back into veins located deeper below the surface of the skin.
Vein Treatments at The Private Clinic
We’ve pioneered the use of EVLA treatments and are proud to say that we are one of the UK’s most recognised vein treatment centres.
- The least invasive method for varicose veins and thread veins removal treatment for your legs, body and face.
- Our Consultant vascular surgeons are pioneers in EVLA (Endovenous Laser Ablation) and have treated thousands of patients.
- No lengthy downtime or recovery required.
- The NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) Gold Standard for treatment of Varicose Veins findings show that the success rate after five years for EVLA is 95.4%.
- A consultation with one of our Consultant Vascular Surgeons costs £150, including a free ultrasound scan of your legs (usually priced between £350 and £450 at most clinics and private hospitals).
- We focus on the underlying cause of your veins and you will only see a Consultant Vascular surgeon for varicose veins.
- We have treated thousands of patients who have regained their confidence whilst avoiding health issues.
- Treatment takes one hour, you can go home shortly after being treated.
- Owing to our success, we have been featured on Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies, TLC’s My Naked Secret and featured in Harper’s Bazaar’s Cosmetic Tweakment Trends for 2019.
- We have carried out over 7,000 procedures in treating Veins.
- View our varicose vein before and after photo gallery.
- View our thread vein before and after treatment photos.
- Read our extensive varicose vein FAQs.
- Read our extensive thread vein FAQs
- Hear from previous patients in our varicose vein patient stories.
- Find out more in our varicose vein blogs.
- Find out more in our thread spider vein blogs.
- Download our varicose vein treatment brochure.
Expert Vascular Surgeons
- Mr Constantinos Kyriakides, MD, FRCS(Gen). GMC 3275436
- Mr Dynesh Rittoo, MBChB, FRCS(Eng), FRCS(Gen Surg). GMC 3556456
- Mr Charles Ranaboldo, BM, FRCS, MS. GMC Number: 2939195
- Professor Rajiv Kumar Vohra, MBBS. GMC Number: 3158700
- Mr Tahir Hussain, MBBS,MS, FRCS. GMC Number: 3242669
- Mr Rajiv Pathak, MBBS, MS, FRCS, FRCS(Gen). GMC Number: 4585309
- Mr Ferdinand Serracino-Inglott, MD, FRCSI, FRCS(Gen), DIC MSc. GMC Number: 5206200
To find out more about vein treatments or to book a consultation, please call 0333 920 2471 or use our vein online contact form.