The thread veins are injected with a sclerosant called Fibrovein through a very small needle. This damages the vein wall and the veins are absorbed by the body over the next few weeks. Compression stockings then need to be worn for 3 days following treatment. The legs will look bruised for a few weeks until the veins are absorbed.

This is not a painful procedure. The injections are very superficial and made with a tiny needle. Some patients have likened the feeling to a nettle sting.

The injection will initially cause some redness and welts, like insect bites. These will have gone by the next day. When you remove the stockings your legs will probably look bruised and the veins often look worse before they look better. The veins are darker at this stage. The appearance improves noticeably by day 10-14, and will continue to improve thereafter. The full result of the treatment session will be apparent by about 12 weeks. There is a huge variation in time of response to treatment. You may well get a big improvement sooner than this.

A very few patients may experience brown staining which may take a few months to clear.

This can depend on the individual response to treatment and the extent of the thread veins. It is best to budget for up to 4 treatments. It is possible to get an excellent result after one treatment.

You are likely to make more thread veins and may need top up treatments every 2-3 years. The same ones are unlikely to reappear.