1 in 50 Suffer Chronic Venous Disease Ulcers

Leg Varicose Vein Ulceration

Chronic venous disease in the legs is one of the most common conditions in the Western world with up to 2% – 1 in 50 – suffering from ulceration in the lower extremities. 

Of those patients who have chronic venous insufficiency, a massive 1 in 5 patients are thought to be suffering from leg ulceration at any one time and of these many patients have recurring or ongoing problems with leg ulcers.

Leg Ulcer Problems

Leg ulceration is a problem which causes considerable discomfort and distress.  Research has shown that patients with leg ulcers on average have a significantly poorer quality of life compared with those who do not have leg ulcers (ref: Persoon et al, 2004; Briggs and Flemming, 2007). There are a series of potential problems resulting from leg ulceration, including:

• Pain and discomfort
• Mobility problems
• Financial problems due to inability to work
• Leaking ulcers, sometimes with bad smell
• Social isolation or self-isolation due to poor self-image
• Discomfort and inconvenience of wearing bulky bandages

Symptom Not Cause

It is important to note that leg ulcers are not in themselves a diagnosis, they are a symptom of having varicose veins.

Therefore, while ulceration is generally treated with bandages and medication to heal the skin, this is treating the symptom without addressing the root cause.

Varicose veins can now be treated with advanced laser treatment in the form of EVLA laser treatment -Endovenous Laser Ablation.  Success rates are in excess of 95% and there is no requirement to have lengthy recovery time off work.

Unfortunately, this treatment is very rarely available on the NHS. Due to funding issues, all but the very worst cases of varicose veins are classed as a ‘cosmetic’ problem and therefore ineligible for treatment.

Varicose & Thread Vein Treatment

Cosmedics Skin Clinics offer private treatment for thread veins and at their London Vein Treatment Centre, they also offer varicose vein treatment with ultrasound scanning for proper diagnosis of any ‘underlying’ vein problems.

Their London Vein Treatment Centre offers EVLA (endovenous laser ablation) laser varicose vein removal with a vascular surgeon with prices starting at £1,650 per leg (1 vein).

They also offer foam sclerotherapy and micro surgery in order to provide a tailor-made service with the most appropriate treatment for each individual.

Thread veins can be treated with sclerotherapy injections, micro cautery laser or Nd:Yag laser.

For more information or to book a consultation, please complete the form on this web page or call 020 7386 0464.