The procedures are designed to be walk in – walk out. Most treatments take no longer than 60 minutes. In fact, we expect you to walk as a part of some of our treatments.

Although your general routine should not be disrupted, we recommend that heavy physical exercise/workload to be avoided in the first 2 weeks following each treatment

Unfortunately vein disease is progressive and if left untreated, will likely become worse over time. Increasing symptoms that can occur with untreated varicose veins include leg tiredness, heaviness, aching, throbbing, restlessness, tingling, itching, numbness and swelling. More serious complications such as phlebitis, blood clots, dermatitis, and vein ulcers can develop if varicose veins are left untreated.

The doctor will examine your areas of concern taking careful consideration of your medical history. All of our patients are assessed with doppler ultrasound (image with sound waves) to determine with precise accuracy the extent of your ailment. The doctors use specialized sonographers who will assist in mapping your veins. A discussion will then follow with an individualised plan to treat your veins, usually with a combination of treatments. You will be given a folder with written material explaining your condition and a management plan. We know that here is a lot of information, and we don’t expect you to remember it all.

We are aware that medical procedures can be more painful for some individuals than others, and we carefully cater for this. At KPMC we use the smallest needles available and have a wide range of pain relief options. These can be creams that numb your skin, inhaled gases that ease the pain or local anesthesia. The injected solution inside the vein can sting for a very short period of time. If Endovenous laser ablation is used, after local anaesthesia the procedure is most of the time pain free. Often patients are watching a movie or listening to music whilst the procedure is being performed.

The spider veins that are treated won’t return, however, the body is constantly forming new blood vessels with healing, therefore new spider veins can show up in a different area as a result of this.
New Varicose veins can return after treatment, however, this is minimised with microphlebectomy treatment. 

Becoming pregnant with existing varicose veins will only lead to the veins becoming significantly worse as the pregnancy develops. Treatment for varicose veins is best performed before or between pregnancies.

Outpatient treatment can be considered to carry less risks than treatment in hospital. With local anaesthesia compared to general anaesthesia, you will walk out of the operating room and will be able to drive yourself home. The anaesthetic is injected around the vein and is intended to only take its effect there. No drowsiness or cloudiness after the procedure are expected. You will be hearing and talking to your doctor the whole time. There will be no surprises, as you are awake throughout the whole procedure. In fact, some patients decide to listen to music during the minimally invasive surgery. There is usually a lower cost, since there are no hospital room charges and no extra charges for the anaesthetist.


Reduced stress. The convenience of recovering in your home generally makes recovery time easier than an in-hospital stay. Scheduling is more predictable. In a hospital setting, emergency surgeries and procedures that take longer than expected can delay scheduled surgeries. An outpatient setting can generally stay within a set schedule since the procedures are less complex and more routine. That means no fasting or waiting hours for your procedure to be done.

Pain: Laser therapy uses heat to damage the inside of the vein, which patients can feel as they are having the treatment performed and is described as a burning sensation. The chemical used during sclerotherapy typically does not cause any symptoms of pain.

Hypopigmentation: The skin surrounding the areas of spider veins treated with laser therapy are subjective to changes in pigment, in which the surrounding skin may become darker. This is particularly problematic with treatments on the face or if multiple areas on the legs are being treated. It is not known what individuals or skin types may be affected by hypopigmentation.

Treatment areas: As laser therapy is more painful, it takes much longer to treat spider veins and therefore less veins may be treated in a single session, as compared with use of sclerotherapy. This means that sclerotherapy can provide optimal results for spider vein removal with less time and treatment sessions.