to ask if any one has had their varicose veins treated privately? and ask for experiences please?

[BeverlyMaccer]

have had horrible varicose veins in one of my legs since having dc3, my own gp wont refer me as its cosmetic (even though I am in pain with them too :/ ) I really want them sorted as i am only 36 and I am sick of covering my legs up all the time as they are pretty good apart from that :/

I have been looking online and so far been quite impressed with the vein centre ( www.veincentre.com/ ) , have also considered Spire as have had other treatment there and found them really good

the vein centre is probably my preferred choice so far though as it seems that they only specialise in vein treatment, so was wondering if any one had been there

would like some other recommendations though if possible please :)

and if anyone could tell me what was the recovery like, and how good were the results, and what did it cost? cant really afford more than about 3k so I think I will have to forget it if its much more

[sue51]

I've had mine removed a few months ago.,It was only 20 minutes in the theatre (one leg only) , it was uncomfortable during surgery , I felt lots of pulling but not painful. After surgery I had a cup of tea and a biscuit then DH drove us home. I was up and about immediately there was a small amount of discomfort during the first week but that went away after the bandages were removed. I never needed any painkillers. My leg looked a bit battered and bruised for the first 2 or 3 weeks but that faded.I paid £2500 at a BUPA hospital and it was money well spent as my leg looks great.

[BeverlyMaccer]

oh that sounds great sue

glad you had a good experience, and 2.5k isn't too bad

have heard stories of people going for "consultations" after seeing reasonable treatment prices on the website and it ending up about 8k

[Hughpughbarneymagrew]

I had mine done(both legs) by Spire about 5 years ago. I think it cost a bit over 1500. It was totally worth it. I stayed in overnight because I was in surgery late afternoon. Discharged the following day with codeine, paracetamol and ibuprofen and instructions to stay mobile.

Had one week off work. Kept feet elevated at desk in the office and at home for another couple of weeks. I don't recall it hurting particularly badly - I only bothered to take the codeine for a couple of days I think. I was fine with the milder pain killers after that.

[Hughpughbarneymagrew]

Oh, and initially I had lots of little purple scars all over my legs. They faded to white scar tissue over the following twelve months. Now you can only see them if I have tan.

[SquinkiesRule]

I had mine injected privately, The doctor who did it did veins and lazer treatments all day every day, they weren't not surgically striped needing a trip to theater. It was all spider veins. some were starting to get larger, but no pain. It took about 30 mins total, and I was back to normal in a couple of days once all the cotton balls and tape were pulled off. It lasted nearly 15 years (I lived in shorts), before I have noticed the spider veins coming back again. I'd love to do it again.

[Backingvocals]

I had laser treatment on my terrible varicose veins about 5 years ago. Tbh it was a waste of time. They are back and as bad as ever.

[sue51]

I forgot to mention I had laser treatment along with vein stripping.

[ijustdontknowanymore]

I had mine done around 10 years ago now, here: www.theveincarecentre.co.uk/. I would really recommend them - my doctor was lovely and as they specialise in treating veins you know you're in experienced hands. Recovery wise I think I had to wear support stockings for around a week, there was some general discomfort but nothing major. My varicose veins have started to come back again (unfortunately I'm just genetically pre-disposed to them, I first had them done at the age of 18) so I will definitely go back to the Vein Care Centre. I would 100% say it's worth it, just to have the confidence to wear shorts and skirts again. Good luck OP :-)

[BeverlyMaccer]

thanks all

tbh I would be happy if they stayed away even for ten years, cant see myself in mini skirts after then tbh

five years is a bit rubbish though backing :( sorry to hear that!

will have a look at that link ijust

any more suggestions / experiences welcome!

[BeverlyMaccer]

BUMP x

[CantChoose]

Sounds like you've done plenty of research already but just as it hasn't been mentioned, make sure you're certain you've completed your family - If not its best to wait until you have or you'll probably end up paying out again... X

[BeverlyMaccer]

oh definitely cantchoose

its having the kids that caused the bloody things I had lovely legs before :D

[allnewredfairy]

Had mine stripped once privately in a local BUPA hospital and twice on NHS. Wish I hadn't bothered as more have popped up over the years. There wasn't a great difference in care between private and NHS except nicer food but we are talking over 10 years ago now.

[Highlandfling80]

Interested as I have them on one leg too. Cosmetically I am not bother but I am experiencing some discomfort in that area.crazy is your pain like op please.

[BeverlyMaccer]

see I would happily have gone nhs If they would have done it, but they don't do it now unless they are really bad and/or causing life threatening issues like blood clots or what ever

I have my consultation on 16 july, so excited. have decided to go with the vein centre, it will be about 2.5k but that includes everything including any follow up treatments

I don't care if only lasts a few years, it will still be well worth a few years of actually being able to get my legs out

thanks again for the posts, if anyone else wants to share any experiences please do :)

[ijustdontknowanymore]

Good luck OP - I hope it goes well for you! What type of treatment are you having? Laser/stripping etc?

[BeverlyMaccer]

It's called EVLT

Stands for endovenous laser therapy, it's meant to be safer and more effective than traditional stripping

Basically a laser fibre is Inserted into the veins and it heats and destroys them

[Smoogs82]

Hi,

Currently looking in to having this done too, was interested to hear three years on Beverly how it all went?

Hope it worked out for you X

[medusa83]

I had private treatment in 2013 on one of my legs. The veins were vile and were itchy and painful (and sticking out of the front of my leg - not just the back!). I had an initial consultation where they scanned the veins to see which valves were faulty. Then I went back and the procedure took about 20 minutes. They injected foam into my leg. This apparently kills off the faulty veins and they are then ingested by the leg - no stripping of the veins involved.

It didn't hurt at all and I drove home afterwards. I went to work the next day and although my leg had bruised very badly, felt absolutely fine.

Several years on, the positive effects are still clear.

I'd definitely advise anyone to do it.

[medusa83]

I think it cost around £1600. This was in the Birmingham area.

[Averyyounggrandmaofsix]

I had mine done in a Bupa hospital, it was a general anaesthetic and relatively pain free. The worst thing was the awful stockings!

[medusa83]

It's called foam sclerotherapy and looks scientifically effective www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2090506812001108

[Phineyj]

I had 3 procedures (2 on one leg, 1 on the other) done at Easter. It was about £5k but that was on the work insurance so self pay may be cheaper (also one vein was seriously swollen so I needed ligation as well as lasers). I declined the foam scelotherapy as unsure about the long term effects of foam on the body. It was all very straightforward and practically pain free. The stockings were definitely the worst part! My legs have never been lovely but I can now wear sheer tights and swimsuits without feeling embarrassed. I still sometimes get achy legs after a day standing (am teacher) but my ankles aren't swollen up.

My DSis had vein treatment about 10 years ago and has had no more issues.

Both my DPs have them and my DDad has nasty venous eczema, so I knew I'd have to tackle it eventually.

[Phineyj]

Oh I should mention the varicose veins on one leg weren't visible on the surface so I had even more than I realised!

[Orangeblossom78]

I had mine done with benenden head;th which is only about ten pounds a month- you need to be with them 6 months and it covers pre-existing cases also. It was great- laser treatment and they give you BUPA code after you ask the GP for a private referral letter. So no costs except the monthly charge. It covered follow up and prior consultants appt as well, really recommend it.

I am so glad I had it done, legs basically have no scarring and veins all gone, feel like new legs!