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Tuesday 2 September 2014

Changing options for the treatment of unwanted veins.



Changing options for the treatment of unwanted veins. Days of open surgery, prolonged bruising and painful recovery are long gone. ________________________________________________________

There is no denying that patients today are choosing minimally invasive or non-invasive  options where possible. In the past there has been a degree of scepticism about benefits of such treatments. How can a beam of light replace a surgeon’s knife? Is this too good to be true ? Not anymore-

Today non-invasive methods are replacing surgery at a very fast rate. So much so that NICE -The National Institute of Clinical Excellence has updated it’s guidelines on the treatment of varicose veins. It has recommended Endovenous laser treatment as the preferred option, foam injections second and surgery where the first two options are not suitable or declined.

How is EVLT or endovenous laser treatment for varicose veins performed?

Endovenous laser therapy involves the insertion of an ultrasound-guided laser fibre directly into the faulty vein. Laser energy heats the vein from within, causing it to shrink, collapse and seal shut. Patients experience minimal discomfort, and they can return to normal activities the same day. Because there are many veins in the leg, the blood that would have flowed through the closed vein simply flows through other healthy veins after the laser therapy.

What about thread and spider veins on the legs?

Thread and spider veins can be like tips of an iceberg. There can be hidden Varicose Veins that need to be ruled out before undertaking treatments for these veins. This usually means an ultrasound scan. It is irresponsible to start firing a laser at thread veins without first undertaking a thorough clinical and ideally an ultrasound evaluation.  It is not a great idea to see a non-doctor with a laser as this is a dangerous tool in the wrong hands. We have seen patients with deep laser burns resulting from inappropriate treatments carried out elsewhere.

Usually microscerotherapy or microinjections into thread veins work well. For tiny veins we have a range of lasers that can be used.  It is important to choose a clinic with a range of lasers as one laser is never suitable for everybody.

How do you treat veins on the face?

Sclerotherapy is very valuable for treatment of leg veins but laser and IPL treatment is safer and better for facial veins. Facial redness and spider veins are a common cosmetic and medical complaint. These are particularly common in rosacea suffers. Common associations are seen with sun damage, a fair complexion, stress, spicy foods and fluctuations in temperature which exacerbate rosacea symptoms. As with many conditions, genetics plays a role too.
Numerous treatments are available but laser and light based treatments are the gold-standard treatment options. We have a comprehensive range of lasers to treat these very successfully. Usually a few sessions are required for best results.

What are venous lakes and can you treat these?

Venous lakes a common condition but unfortunately there is a lack of awareness even amongst the health professionals. Venous lakes are dark blue to violet compressible small swelling caused by swelling of venules. These are common on sun-exposed skin. They also commonly occur on lips and are uncommon before 50 years of age.

We have patients travelling from all over the country to see us and so far we have managed to clear all of these in just one or two sessions.

What other vein related conditions can you treat?

We can treat veins and blemishes such as angiomas, spider naevi, birthmarks and lumps and bumps anywhere on the body. With hand veins and blue veins on the temples it is better to disguise these veins by using fillers or fat injections rather than remove or zap these with the lasers as these may be normal veins which have started to become visible due to loss of volume.

For more information or to book an appointment, Call 0800 0430737 or log on to the website www.coltishallclinic.co.uk.