Surgery

If it is necessary for you to undergo surgery you will be admitted to hospital where you will be seen by Mr Scurr and his anaesthetist. Mr Scurr will arrange to mark the position of the veins on your legs, sometimes it is necessary for you to have further marks placed on the leg using duplex ultrasound imaging. The anaesthetist will ensure that you are fit for surgery and you will then be given a very light but full anaesthetic. The effects of the anaesthetic are instantaneous and wear off once the operation is completed.

The operation will involve making small incisions (2 cm in the groins between the top of your leg and your body) and these incisions heal without leaving scars. Occasionally it is necessary to make small incisions behind the knees, but again these incisions are in the skin creases and heal without leaving scars. The remaining surface veins are removed through small incisions 1.5 mm in length, these incisions close on their own without the need for stitches and disappear again without leaving any scarring.

After the operation you will have a bandage on your leg which you wear for 12 hours and once the 12 hour period has passed the bandage is replaced with a heavy elastic compression stocking which you will then wear for ten days. The elastic stocking can be removed every day so that you can have a shower (avoid having a bath as it affects the wounds) and the elastic stocking can also be washed and dried. Once a few days have passed it is not necessary to wear the elastic stocking when you are in bed.

After the operation you will be encouraged to get up and walk as much as possible and when you are not walking you should sit on the sofa with your feet up.

The operation is not painful though you may require Panadol or Aspirin for discomfort and some patients may experience increasing discomfort particularly in the thigh after four or five days however this is quite normal. This is due to the blood reacting with the tissues, if you experience this pain please let us know and we will give you a different pain relieving tablet (Voltarol, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory).

You can return to driving the car as soon as you feel comfortable and can return to work and normal activities again when you see fit- some people will return to work within 48 hours, others preferring to take a full week to recover.

Following the surgical procedure you will be seen once in the outpatient department after ten days to make sure the wounds are healing nicely and you will then be reviewed six weeks after this to assess the result. Most, if not all, of the large veins will have disappeared and any residual veins, spider veins and blushes can be treated by an injection technique. The treatment will continue until you are entirely satisfied with both the appearance and the feel of your leg.

Following surgical treatment, you will be seen for two post operative appointments after about ten days and six weeks to assess the result. We will continue to support you throughout your treatment, until you are totally satisfied with both the appearance and the feel of the leg.