We hope you are recovering well following your recent procedure
The information on this page will help you in the early stages of your recovery.
We outline what you can expect in the first few days and how you can look after yourself to recover as quickly as possible.
We also highlight what problems you should look out for during your recovery and when you should contact us for further advice.
If your have any concerns or queries following your procedure please contact us via the email link below and we will get back to you.
If your concern is of a more urgent nature please telephone the Nuffield Hospital on:
(01902) 754177 or (01902) 793247 (out of hours)
What do i need to do to look after myself at home after a vein procedure?
Please explore the links below to find out how what to do in the first few days after your treatment.
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In most cases your leg will be bandaged and a stocking placed over this - this is to help to reduce bruising and swelling associated with the procedure.
If you have a bandage on you should remove this and the gauze padding the day after the procedure. At this point you can gently wipe clean your leg if needed and then reapply the stocking, leaving the steristrip plasters over the small wounds.
The stocking should be worn day and night for 48 hours. Following this the stocking should be worn in the daytime only for one week. There is no evidence that wearing the stocking after a week gives any medical benefit, but you may wish to continue to use the stocking for comfort for up to 6 weeks.
After 2 or 3 days you can shower off the small dressings, gently pat dry the area and then reapply the stocking. We would advise against taking a bath for a week or so until the wounds have fully healed over.
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On the day of your treatment we suggest you rest with your legs elevated but make a conscious effort to get up and walk around every 30 minutes or so - this will help the blood flow in the deeper veins and reduce your risk of blood clots.
Once the bandage is removed you will find walking much easier and we recommend starting to go for longer walks, building this up as the days go by.
Depending on the amount of work that has been done, most people can return to light exercise by one week. You may experience a little superficial discomfort or a pulling sensation in the leg - listen to your body, if it is uncomfortable then reduce your activity accordingly. You will not be doing any harm or undoing the effect of the treatment. The most sensible advice is to listen to your body and resume your gym activities as soon as you feel comfortable.
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Most people can return to driving after a couple of days. The exact timing will depend on how much work was done and whether one or both legs were treated.
Ultimately your fitness to drive is self directed. You need to be pain free so that you are not distracted, are able to use the pedals (especially the brake!) and be able to exit the car quickly in the event of a problem.
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Most people with a desk job are able to return to work after a week and many will be able to do so sooner. If your job involves sitting down please sit with your leg raised as much as possible and get up and have regular short walks.
Those who have a more manual job may need a little longer or arrange a phased return to work.
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It is recommended that you don’t fly for 14 days (especially if the flight is more than 3 hours long) after this procedure to reduce the risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). You may wish to wear compression stockings during any flights to reduce any further risk and/or for comfort.
If you have had extensive treatment or both legs treated it may be sensible to extend the no-fly period to 4 weeks.
What symptoms can I expect after treatment?
Listed below are the common symptoms that you may encounter during your recovery. Please click on each one to learn more and discover what you can do to help.
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You should expect a degree of discomfort following your treatment, particularly as the local anaesthetic wears off. This should not be particularly bad and is managed by taking regular pain killers in the first few days - whatever you would usually take for a headache for example.
Wearing the compression stockings will also help to support the legs during the healing process and will make your legs feel more comfortable.
If a particular area is sore then local use of a cold compress may be of benefit.
If you have excessive pain or your pain is worsening with time rather than getting better we would like to hear from you.
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Bruising following varicose vein treatment is quite common, particularly if you had large varicose veins treated.
The bruising generally worsens and looks more extensive 3 to 5 days following treatment but will then start to fade. The bruising has usually settled by 2 weeks following treatment.
Wearing compression hosiery is important to reduce the amount of bruising you may experience.
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The wounds and therefore the scarring associated with your vein treatment will be minimal. If you have had veins removed there will be a number of small vertical scars overlying the place where the veins were. These scars will be only a few millimetres in length. They will appear pink at first but will fade to white over the coming months and will end up being very difficult to see.
We recommend avoiding exposure to sunlight in the early stages of healing and the use of good sun screen protection.
Some patients develop a degree of skin puckering at the site of a scar - often when there is lax skin or if there was a large vein removed from that area. Once things have settled, regular massage of the area breaks down the deeper scarring and makes the skin mobile once more.
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It is not uncommon to have a few areas of lumpiness around the places where veins were removed. This can be due to a degree of deeper bruising, phlebitis in a remnant vein or is part of the usual healing process following foam sclerotherapy.
Once any tenderness has subsided, gentle massage of the area often helps to disperse the area more quickly.
What problems should I look out for following a procedure?
Major problems following treatment are uncommon but it is important that you know what to look out for and who to contact if you have concerns.
If for whatever reason you think something isn’t right or are concerned about your recovery please contact us. We can often reassure you via the telephone or may bring you back to the clinic for an assessment.
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Bleeding following vein removal is usually a minor problem. If bleeding occurs through the bandages it is usually before you leave the hospital as you start to mobilise and we can easily treat this with an additional layer of bandaging. This is one of the reasons we ask you to stay for 30 minutes after your treatment to ensure all is well.
Bleeding when you get home is uncommon. If it does occur it generally always looks worse that it actually is. Bleeding from veins is low pressure so always responds to leg elevation and pressure. Lie on the floor with your leg elevated and get someone to press on the affected area and apply a further bandage. This is all that is usually required.
If you are at all concerned, we would ask you to return to the hospital for assessment by one of our nurses and a change of dressings.
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Infection requiring antibiotics is uncommon affecting less than 5% of cases.
An infected area is usually red and swollen and often associated with one of the small leg wounds. Sometimes the wound can leak a little fluid. Infection can be associated with a fever.
Phlebitis in the leg can also cause an area to be tender and red and sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the two.
If you develop signs that you might think are infection then we would need to see you back to assess you in the clinic.
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Deep vein thrombosis is clot within the deeper veins of the leg. Fortunately this is uncommon following this treatment occurring in 1:200 to 1:300 patients. The use of a heparin injection, compression stockings and early mobilisation help to reduce the risk.
Signs of a DVT include pain in the calf (often worse with walking) and leg swelling. The pain is often away from the surgical wounds.
If you are worried you may have a DVT please let us know as soon as possible and we can advise the best way to investigate this.
Please be aware that standard blood tests for DVT are of not much use soon after treatment and an ultrasound of the deep veins is required to exclude a DVT.
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A pulmonary embolism is a rare complication of any surgical treatment and is due to a blood clot that has travelled to the lungs. This is usually secondary to a DVT but it is important to note that signs of a DVT are not always present.
A PE presents with shortness of breath, chest pain that is worse when you breathe in and occasionally coughing up blood or a collapse.
If you have any of these symptoms that come on suddenly following vein treatment you should call 999 and be assessed in hospital immediately.