The Vein Doctor

Medical Super Glue for Varicose Veins

In today’s Daily Mail, there is an article on the use of medical “Super Glue” called VenaSeal to treat varicose veins.  I commented on this in a previous blog posting. I believe that the Sapheon “super glue” Closure system for varicose veins is one of the most interesting and promising developments in the treatment of this condition for many years. The procedure is very fast … Continue reading »

Varicose Eczema is not a dermatological or skin condition and it should not be treated by dermatologists or with creams. In fact steroid creams only mask the condition which can continue to deteriorate to the point of causing a leg ulcer. The underlying problem is superficial vein reflux and this should be treated by a vein specialist (phlebologist).

Early Treatment gives better results and reduces the risks of complications. If caught early, varicose eczema can be cured. However if varicose eczema is neglected, the skin may be … Continue reading »

Microsclerotherapy for Leg Thread Veins

In published scientific trials, sclerotherapy always comes out tops for the removal of thread veins on the legs and most vein specialists regard it as the “gold standard”. In this treatment, a prescription medicine called a sclerosant is injected directly into the thread veins using very fine needles, slightly bigger than a human hair. As the clear solution enters the thread vein, the blood within it is displaced and they look as if they disappear. In fact, the sclerosant removes the lining of the vein instantly (surprisingly this is not painful) … Continue reading »

If you are affected by Varicose Veins and Thread Veins, there are 7 things you must know.

1. Heredity is the most important factor that determines whether you are likely to develop varicose veins or thread veins. It’s not your fault, you probably inherited a weakness of your veins from your Mother or Father.
2. Pregnancy doesn’t cause varicose veins or thread veins. These vein problems may appear for the first time during pregnancy, but pregnancy is not the cause, it merely aggravates an underlying weakness of the vein valves.
3. Early treatment gives better results. There is no point putting off … Continue reading »
   

Susan from Salisbury has been troubled by varicose veins for years.  They started causing problems during pregnancy and after the birth of each of her 3 children she developed painful periods of phlebitis. Over the years, the skin of her leg deteriorated and by the time I saw her in July last year, she already had varicose eczema in the lower part of her left leg (see the photograph below on the left). She had patches of red, itchy and uncomfortable inflammation on her shin and ankle. I performed a Duplex Ultrasound Scan which … Continue reading »

Dr Charlene Scicluna and Dr Johanna Ward are congratulated by Dr Haroun Gajraj

I have just returned to Dorset having spent the day in London training two doctors in the treatment of thread veins (known medically as telangiectasia). Dr Charlene Scicluna (middle) is a General Practitioner and Specialist Cosmetic Doctor from Malta and Dr Johanna Ward (right) is a General Practitioner and Cosmetic Specialist who has her own clinic in Kent, the … Continue reading »

A question that I am commonly asked is “Will I get a leg ulcer, doctor?” This is the most feared complication among people with varicose veins in my opinion. The good news is that serious medical complications such as bleeding, phlebitis and leg ulcers are actually not very common even among people with quite severe varicose veins.

Nevertheless, varicose veins are unsightly, they ache, throb and itch, particularly after prolonged standing and in hot weather. Untreated, they usually get worse and spread. Treatment at an early stage gives better cosmetic results, it relieves symptoms and it reduces the risks of complications.

Recently … Continue reading »

Be Warned – A massive 80% of people who have surgical stripping will have their varicose veins come back 5-10 years after their surgery.  Several possible causes have been recognized for recurrent varicose veins. Here are the three main ones:

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1. Inadequate surgery

Venous Reflux may still persist after the surgery either because the wrong operation was performed or the correct operation was performed but incorrectly. For these reasons,  treatment should always be based on full pre-procedure duplex ultrasound … Continue reading »

Another Health Benefit of Chocolate

A recent study showed that frequent chocolate consumption was associated with lower body mass index (BMI), even when adjusting for calorie intake, saturated fat intake, and mood.

Beatrice A. Golomb, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues described their findings in a research letter published in this week’s issue of the prestigious medical journal – Archives of Internal Medicine.

The authors used data from 1018 patients already being … Continue reading »

Today is the Spring equinox – officially the first day of Spring. The days are getting longer and warmer and the garden seems to be coming alive. With the promise of summer around the corner, many of us will be thinking about baring our legs. What about holidays on the beach or by the pool or maybe barbecues on the patio? For some, however, the thought of summer feels them with dread because their legs are marred by unsightly varicose veins or thread veins. So now is the perfect time to take stock and do something positive about those veins.

[caption id=”attachment_1233″ align=”alignleft” … Continue reading »