How often should I get my veins treated?

This is a question that I am often asked to which I reply…. “If the quality of treatment is high the treatment frequency will be low”.

Specifically for surface veins, if the reticular veins (the blue / green veins that lead into spider veins) are treated prior to treating the spider veins then not only is the treatment more effective but it lasts a lot longer. For example, a 40 year old lady would usually get between 5 – 10 years between treatments if treated correctly. This time between treatments extends as people get older. The treated veins do not come back but there will be new veins grow over time for the same reason that the original veins grew – genetics!

If the reticular veins are not treated first then not only do patients often get a poor result but they require frequent treatment (every 6 -12 months) because the treated spider veins will just keep reappearing. There is also a higher incidence of the complication of “matting” if the reticular veins are not treated.

Why don’t all doctors treat veins this way? Sadly because the training of some doctors is less than optimal or their real interest lies elsewhere. For deeper veins treated with either Ultrasound Guided Sclerotherapy or Endovenous Laser Ablation, the results are invariably long term and often permanent with any recurrence usually minor in nature and easily treated. These successful results will only occur if the treating doctor is very well trained and experienced.