What is Venous Reflux?

Laser vein therapy is a highly effective technique for dealing with venous reflux. Venous reflux refers to the failure of the valves inside the veins deep in the leg to pump blood properly towards the heart. Left untreated, venous reflux can lead to bulging veins on the surface of the skin, and to even more serious medical problems later on. Fortunately, thanks to modern ultrasound technology and improved diagnostic accuracy, at The Vein Institute we can now treat venous reflux effectively and permanently with endovenous laser ablation (EVLA).

Why do we practice EVLA at The Vein Institute?

• It is a convenient, “walk in, walk out” procedure, which means there is no hospital stay and no general anaesthetics used.
• EVLA is safe and effective and boasts an almost 100% success rate
• Patients require no recovery time and can return to their usual activities right away

What is a Venous Duplex Ultrasound Scan?

Before initiating any laser vein therapy, we start with the “gold standard” of diagnostic tools, a professional venous duplex ultrasound scan of your legs and the veins inside them. This scan helps us determine the cause of your veins, which will, in turn, help us select the most appropriate and effective varicose veins laser treatment. Before the availability of ultrasound, doctors could only base their decisions on what veins to treat on what they could see with their eyes. Now, we can “see” the veins deep beneath the skin and ensure that every vein that needs treatment, gets treatment. This has led to a phenomenal success rate with EVLA.

What can I expect during the Procedure?

EVLA is comfortable for patients because it is performed right in our clinic, with just local anaesthetics. A very thin laser filament is inserted into the diseased vein and with the help of ultrasound, we can guide the varicose veins laser to precisely the right spot to seal the vein shut permanently. Once the vein is sealed shut, the body begins to reabsorb it while at the same time redirecting the blood flow to healthier veins in the area. In this way, your circulation improves and your appearance improves as the sealed vein gradually fades away over a period of a few weeks.

What can I expect after the Procedure?

The procedure is pain-free and takes about an hour, after which you can return home or work. There may be some numbness in the leg area until the local anaesthetic wears off. Your doctor will ask you to wear elastic compression stockings on the treated legs to help ensure the vein stays shut and to speed the healing process. If you experience any soreness at all, over the counter painkillers such as panadol will relieve it.

One to two weeks later, you will have a follow-up appointment to ensure that the laser vein therapy was completely successful in sealing shut all diseased veins. If any smaller veins need treating, we can use another technique, known as ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy, to seal those shut and perfect the health and beauty of the legs.