Perth's Leading Specialist in the Treatment of Varicose Veins
Dr Luke Matar | MBBS, FRANZCR, FACP
What Are Inflamed Veins?
Inflamed veins are always a symptom of an underlying vein problem. Inflammation in your veins and the surrounding skin is a consequence of venous reflux or venous insufficiency. At The Vein Clinic in Perth we commit to maintain the highest level of diagnostic accuracy possible. As a Radiologist, Dr Matar scans patients himself, to confirm sonographer findings and determine the best way to treat your veins. Other doctors relying on a sonographers diagram simply cannot offer this level of expertise and highly accurate diagnosis and tailored treatment.
Once the cause of your inflamed veins is determined, The Vein Clinic can help you choose the most suitable, minimally invasive treatment option from our wide range of vein treatments.
Causes of Inflamed Veins
Vein inflammation may be the indicator of an underlying problem called venous reflux. Venous reflux occurs when blood pools in your veins (in the legs) instead of flowing back upwards to the heart. The reflux happens when the valves in your veins are malfunctioning, not pushing all the blood upwards as they should. This condition is often the underlying cause of varicose or bulging veins.
If varicose veins and the underlying venous reflux are left untreated, other symptoms may occur. They can range from minor discomfort (heavy or itchy legs) to a more serious problem (inflamed veins) to venous thrombosis (blood clots).
If you notice abnormal swelling, or twisted veins above the surface of your skin, you may also notice tiredness in the legs, or ulceration and skin discoloration or venous eczema.
Treatment of Inflamed Veins
With inflamed veins, the priority is to obtain a clear, accurate diagnosis. At The Vein Clinic, Dr Matar uses his extensive experience in radiology, and a thorough ultrasound assessment, to get a clear picture of your underlying vein problems. Only then can we make sure that you are given reliable and complete information about the deeper causes.
At The Vein Clinic we offer a wide range of vein treatments, and we have a particular expertise in ultrasound assessments and ultrasound-guided treatments.
Our Approach to Treatment
Stage 1
Treatment of large malfunctioning veins (trunk)
Endovenous Laser Treatment (EVLA) to great, small, and/or anterior accessory saphenous veins. 60 minutes
Stage 2
Treatment of large varicose veins (branches)
Phlebectomy removal of larger bulging varicose veins 90-120 minutescombined with
Ultrasound-Guided Foam Sclerotherapy (UGFS) on smaller veins. 30 minutes
Stage 2
Treatment of small varicose veins (branches) if required
Extra sessions of UGFS to close smaller veins if identified as required at post-treatment follow-up scan 30 minutes
You may not require this stage.
Stage 3
Optional treatment surface veins (leaves)
Usually done by Microsclerotherapy 30 minutes
Most patients require multiple treatment sessions to remove spider veins.
Stage 4
Follow up and maintenance to ensure best results
Our Minimally Invasive
Treatments
Meet Your Vein Specialist
Dr Luke Matar MBBS, FRANZCR, FACP
Dr Luke Matar is the only Australian doctor to have been personally trained by the inventor of laser perforator vein ablation, the world-renowned UK-based EVLA expert Professor Mark Whiteley. This advantage positions him as the clear choice for your laser treatment for varicose veins. Having suffered the discomfort experienced from venous insufficiency personally, Dr Matar is uniquely sympathetic to his patients. This has influenced his commitment to providing world-class non-surgical varicose vein treatments. For Dr Matar, it’s all about great results from minimal pain using leading technologies that minimise recovery time and post-treatment discomfort.
Meet Dr Luke MatarExperiencing Other Symptoms?
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I have varicose veins?
Most varicose vein issues are hereditary. If you have one parent with varicose veins your risk of having them is around 65%. If both parents are affected the risk rises to approximately 90%. Another main risk factor for women is pregnancy, with the risk increasing with each additional pregnancy. Standing occupations such as hairdressers, nurses, and chefs also have a high risk of varicose veins as gravity puts pressure on the veins and weakens them.
How do I prevent varicose veins?
Once varicose veins are present, they will not resolve of their own accord. Measures to reduce the rate of progression include maintaining a normal healthy weight and going for regular walks of 20-30 minutes per day. Reducing the length of time spent on the feet in a stationary position may help and alternating between standing and sitting positions during the day will also reduce the pressure on the veins.
What will happen if I don’t treat these veins?
Generally, without treatment, varicose veins will get progressively worse over time. Symptoms may occur such as heaviness, ache, pain, and tiredness in the legs towards the end of the day. Further progression may result in leg swelling, itch, skin discolouration, and eventual skin ulceration. Blood clots related to superficial venous thrombosis may also occur in severe cases and can lead to the more serious condition of Deep Vein Thrombosis.
What treatment options exist?
Outdated, old-fashioned options such as surgical stripping are rapidly becoming obsolete due to poor long-term success, with recurrence rates of up to 50%. Modern treatment options include endovenous laser ablation, sclerotherapy injections, and ultrasound-guided ambulatory phlebectomy. In many cases a combination of different treatments will give the best long-term results.
Will the veins come back after treatment?
Many people are concerned that the treatment will be of limited value because the veins will just come back. This was certainly the case in the days of surgical stripping with a 50% recurrence rate at 5 years; however, using the latest minimally invasive techniques, we can reduce the risk of recurrent varicose veins to the baseline risk of approximately 3% per year.
What is the downtime following treatment?
This depends on the type of procedure performed and the severity of the veins being treated. Modern treatment with laser can involve no time off work and approximately two weeks off heavy gym work and four weeks off international travel.
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Unsure of what vein condition you may have? Please assess your legs with our online tool.