Symptoms worth acting on
- Aching, heaviness or throbbing in the legs, worse at the end of the day
- Ankle swelling
- Itching, dry or discoloured skin around the ankle
- Bleeding from a vein, or an ulcer that will not heal
Treatment
Diagnosis is by duplex ultrasound, which maps which veins are leaking. Most people are treated with keyhole ablation — laser, radiofrequency or glue — under local anaesthetic as a four-hour admission, walking out the same day and back to normal activity within days.
Foam sclerotherapy and phlebectomy are used alongside where needed. Graduated compression remains an important part of care.
