Video
Voiceover:
April came to see Dr Pixie about unsightly thread veins on her leg.
Dr Pixie:
So, April, if you want to roll up the trousers for me, and let’s have a look.
Voiceover:
She has been referred to Mr Constantinos Kyriakides for a series of injections that will relieve her problem.
Mr Kyriakides:
The plan today is to proceed with what is known as micro-injection sclerotherapy, which is the use of a special chemical that is injected in the vein and causes the vein to effectively shrivel up, and then it disappears.
Mr Kyriakides:
Do you see this?
April:
Yeah.
Mr Kyriakides:
Are you impressed?
April:
Yeah. Wow.
Mr Kyriakides:
How about this one? Now you see how the…
April:
Oh, it’s making me fill up.
Mr Kyriakides:
Really?
April:
Sorry.
Mr Kyriakides:
That’s, that’s okay. I know you’ve suffered with this for a while now.
April:
It just looks…so different. It’s amazing.
Voiceover:
After the first session of treatment, the intricate technique has been successful.
Mr Kyriakides:
Now, what we used today was Fibro-Vein, and, and what it does, it actually inflames the inside wall of the vein and makes the vein effectively clot off or close. And because the vein is then, for lack of a better term, dead, it gets absorbed and then disappears from the skin or the underlying tissue, and no longer shows.
Voiceover:
During the sclerotherapy procedure, Mr Kyriakides has discovered that she has a more serious underlying problem in her left leg, and has asked her to come back for further treatment.
Mr Kyriakides:
I found that the valves in the main superficial vein in the leg were not functioning, uh, properly.
Voiceover:
This means that she will need to undergo a procedure called endovenous laser ablation, under local anaesthetic, to close off the leaking vein.
Mr Kyriakides:
You’ve got a couple of veins down here…okay, which are stemming from the main vein, which are slightly too big to, uh, to inject, so what I’m going to do is, I’m going to mark them, and I’m just going to take them out under the same local anaesthetic, okay?
Voiceover:
Mr Kyriakides uses an ultrasound scanner to locate the veins feeding into the leg.
Mr Kyriakides:
So now what I’m looking at is the junction of the vein that’s causing the leak to the main vein. So this is how far up I want to be in terms of sealing the vein. And we’re going to be working up here, and we’re going to be working down here. But the laser fibre is going to thread up all the way to the top of the groin, and that’s where I’m going to be marking up there, the junction. So the laser fibre, when it starts working, it will seal up the vein, pardon me, from the top, all the way down to where it comes out, okay? So that is why we no longer need to be, with this technique, we no longer need to be, um, making a cut in the groin.
Mr Kyriakides:
Your left leg, we know we’ve got two types of problems. One is the visible veins that you have under the skin, but also the vein that runs underneath the skin that’s a bit deeper, visible with ultrasound, which is effectively leaky. The valves in that vein are leaky. So what is happening is that the blood is pooling down into the leg as opposed to going upwards, and that is the reason you are getting the more superficial veins in the skin visible. So what I’ve done so far is to mark the course of the vein, the offending vein. And we’ll prep the leg, I’ve put some Emla cream, otherwise known as magic cream, on the skin, and what that does is it numbs the skin a little bit, because this procedure does involve a handful of injections through the skin.
Voiceover:
Then he uses the ultrasound scanner to work out an entry point for the laser fibre, and inserts a sheath into the vein.
April:
I feel fine so far, it’s not…
Mr Kyriakides:
It’s meant to feel good.
April:
Yeah, of course! It’s not uncomfortable, it’s not painful, it’s fine.
Mr Kyriakides:
This is the laser fibre, okay, this whole thing is the laser fibre that I will be running inside that sheath I showed you. And the tip of the laser fibre, this bit here, is the active bit, that’s the bit that actually seals off the vein. Okay, it’s got a little light that guides us through as we work, and you can see it kind of running up the skin, underneath the skin.
Voiceover:
A fluid buffer is then put down the vein to help numb the inside of the leg…
Mr Kyriakides:
The fluid is going in now.
Voiceover:
...and compresses the vein onto the laser fibre, giving it a better contact and also helps to reduce bruising.
Mr Kyriakides:
How are you doing, April?
April:
Okay, I’m fine.
Mr Kyriakides:
Once the laser is fired, I slowly pull back the laser fibre at a set rate, and that seals off the vein, uh, along its course.
Voiceover:
To clear up the smaller veins, Mr Kyriakides performs a procedure called a phlebectomy.
Mr Kyriakides:
A phlebectomy is a procedure whereby one punctures the skin over the offending vein, and then uses a crochet hook to pull the vein out—effectively just rip it out. All finished.
Voiceover:
Nine weeks later, April is back to update Dr Pixie on her progress.
Dr Pixie:
Let’s see these legs! They’re pretty good, aren’t they?
April:
Yeah, and I think once the bruising’s gone, it’ll be even better.
Dr Pixie:
All around here you were covered in these very very fine veins, and it’s just gone.
April:
Yup.
Dr Pixie:
It’s amazing, isn’t it? It just disappeared!
April:
Yeah, yeah, it looks really good.
Dr Pixie:
So there’s lots of things you can do now, that you couldn’t do, before.
April:
I’m looking forward to going on holiday and trying my new legs out.
Dr Pixie:
For the first time in ten years.
April:
Yeah.
Dr Pixie:
Good girl.
April:
Yeah.
Dr Pixie:
So, April, enjoy being pain-free and most of all, enjoy the summer.
April:
I will do, thank you.
Dr Pixie:
You’re very welcome.
April:
Thank you.
April appears in the EB clinic suffering from unsightly thread veins that she has had for ten years. Dr Pixie sends April to see vascular specialist Mr Constantinos Kyriakides, who carries out a course of micro injection schlerotherapy to which we see some instantaneous results leaving April a tad emotional. However in the process it is discovered that April’s veins in her left leg are not working as they should and April undergoes further procedures under local anaesthetic to seal a leaking vein and pull out some small visible ones. 9 weeks later April returns to visit Dr Pixie to show off her new legs that are a marked improvement enabling April to finally go out in a skirt after ten long years.
Patient Name: April Nicklin
Condition: Thread Veins
Specialist: Mr Constantinos Kyriakides, Consultant Vascular surgeon
Hospital: The Private Clinic
Length of procedure: 2 × 1 hour Sclerotherapy sessions followed by approx 1 hour of surgery
Yes
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Hi, I'm 26 and had laser treatment on the thread veins on my legs about 3 weeks ago now, they haven't improved at all as yet if anything they look worse! Very upsetting. Any advise would be great.
I'm 26 and have just had hyfrecation treatment on thread veins on my legs in a private clinic which cost me £150. It was quite painful and my legs are still a bit achy but I'm hoping for a good end result.
I have suffered from unsightly thresd veins on both legs for years now. They have got worse over the years and I bnow dread the summer or going on holiday as I cannot face the looks I get when I wear a swimming costume or a skirt. It is really affecting me badly. I have been to my doctor but she said there was no treatmnent for them and I would just have to put up with them. I feel so miserable and spend all my life in trousers or jeans. I cry a lot in the summer when I see other women in preety dresses and have pretty legs on show. Is there any hope for me to get treatment on the NHS? I don't have the money to go private as I imagine it would be quite costly.
I feel exactly the same, like yourself it really depresses me,I feel ugly. I am always in trousers or black tights.I have been to GP and he said no way could it be done on national health.I would love to know how much it would cost,but there is quite a large area on both of my legs.I have tried to cover up with make up, to no avail.Sunbeds don,t cover it up either.
I AM 26 YEARS OLD AND MY FEET ARE PURPLE DUE TO THREAD VEINS I HAVE VERY BAD VEINS IN MY LEGS AND WOULD LIKE TO UNDERGO TREATEMENT BUT I HAVE HEARD ITS VERY EXPENSIVE. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHERE I COULD GO IN BIRMINGHAM TO UNDERGO MICRO INJECTIONS SCHERLOTHERAPY AND HOW MUCH APPROXIMATELY A COURSE OF TREATMENT WOULD COST.
I have suffered from acne and scarring on my back since I was 13, I am now 34 and haven't worn sleeveless or vest tops for years. I am so embarrasswd by it that I can't take my little girl swimming or do any sports or activites which don't involve staying covered up. What can I do?
I have V.V surgeey 3 times now and i am only 39. My legs have had unsightly thread veins for at least 20 years.My lower legs burn and itch, sometimes to the point where i scratch them until they bleed.My GP says nothing can be done.I get so low because i can't ever look nice.Even in the summer i have to wear jeans and trousers.It looks like i have been kicked constantly.The thread veins seem to grow everyday.I can't afford to go private, but i need something doing. Help!!
michelle i totally sympahise with you. i have had vv surgery 3 times also and have thread vein probs. it has caused me to be very low almost constantly. i have just had some thread veins treated privately and they are slightly better. i am just starting to try a cream with vitamin k in it that is said to have excellent results in fading the veins. sounds too good to br true but im going to try it.
i had a d.v.t in the top of my leg when i was preagant the vains in my leg are really bad and one that really sticks out . if i have been on my feet for some time my whole leg hurts and normaly is about 4 cm larger that the other i went to the gp and he told me not to worrie about it and stay at home and have more babies . i cant ware shorts .skirts or dresses coz its that bad and i am onley 28 any advice on how i can make it any better x
i have stretch marks on my hips and im 15 how d i get rid of them i really dont like them there and its embarracing any help in how to get rid of themm ? xx
Hi, I have very bad broken veins all sown both legs, they are painful I am unable to pay private are there any other ways to remove them. Thanks
I have such bad thread veins that my feet are actually purple, I hate wearing dresses and skirts even in the summer I have to wear thick tights. I have tried all the make up on the market but it does'nt really work. I have had this condition for over 20 years and the doctors just don't take it seriously. I would love to have this treatment done, but can you have it on the NH as I should imagine its very expensive.