At enhanceskin we treat spider veins and varicose veins, and although both types of vein disorder stem from the same disease processes, their visual symptoms are very different, as are the treatments we use to combat them.
What they look like:
Spider Veins – These small, thin red and bluish veins develop close to the skin’s surface, and often resemble a spider’s web, hence the name.
Varicose Veins – These are generally lumpy, bulbous and protrude. They often cause obvious physical symptoms and can cause achy, heavy or tired legs, or restless legs, which are crampy or tingly, particularly at night. If the skin on your legs is dry and itchy, this too could be a sign of underlying varicose veins.
How they are treated:
Spider Veins – Although the symptoms of spider veins are more likely to be cosmetic, David will still often carry out a scan to see if any they are associated with an underlying problem of incompetent veins. Generally these are treated using microsclerotherapy. This is a safe and convenient method of diminishing the appearance of spider veins and thread veins by injecting a dilute irritant into them. This is not always an immediate solution and can require more than one treatment, so it is often a winter job!
Varicose Veins – At enhanceskin, all the varicose vein treatments we offer are minimally invasive, and a FREE full doctor’s vein assessment and scan will help to determine the treatment most suitable for you
- Ultrasound Guided Sclerotherapy (UGS) uses specialised ultrasound equipment to guide injections of sclerosant which permanently closes the vein. This procedure is virtually painless, so requires no anaesthesia.
- Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA), the gold standard varicose vein treatment, again, requires no general anaesthesia or hospital stay. You walk in and walk out (wearing compression stockings for two weeks), and you are even able to drive home afterwards.
- The newest treatment we offer is Venaseal, a medical glue that closes off Varicose Veins. There is no need for stockings in those who it suits as a treatment! And air travel is allowed at any point after treatment.
The great advantage of all the treatment methods we use have over surgery is that there is minimal downtime or impact on your usual daily living over the weeks following treatment.
