McKeown Medical
167 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4SQ
Everything you need to know about VenaSeal™ vein treatment
When it comes to treating varicose veins, VenaSeal™ has emerged as a revolutionary option that offers a minimally invasive and highly effective solution.
Published by Dr Alex Vesey
Date posted — 4.10.24
What is VenaSeal™?
When it comes to treating varicose veins, VenaSeal™ has emerged as a revolutionary option that offers a minimally invasive and highly effective solution.
This innovative treatment involves using a specially formulated medical adhesive to seal off problematic veins, redirecting blood flow to healthier veins and providing relief from the discomfort and unsightly appearance of varicose veins.
Expert Video
Dr Alex Vesey is our expert consultant vascular surgeon who heads up our varicose vein team. Listen to him explain the VenaSeal™ treatment.
What makes VenaSeal™ different?
Unlike traditional methods that rely on heat or chemical irritants, VenaSeal™ works by simply bonding the vein walls together, causing the treated vein to collapse and eventually be absorbed by the body. The procedure is quick, usually completed in under an hour, and requires no anaesthetic, making it a convenient and comfortable choice for many patients.
It has already become the gold standard treatment in America, accounting for around 50% of varicose vein treatments in the USA, although its rollout in the UK has largely been limited because there are cheaper alternatives prioritised by the NHS, which has also influenced the private sector in this country – despite VenaSeal™ being a better alternative for most patients. We are the first private clinic in Scotland to offer this procedure.
How does the VenaSeal™ treatment work?
The VenaSeal™ treatment works by using a specially formulated medical adhesive to seal off varicose veins, effectively rerouting blood flow to healthier veins. The procedure begins with a small, single injection of local anaesthetic. This contrasts with other minimally invasive options like Radiofrequency Ablation or Laser treatment that require a large volume of local anaesthetic to be injected along the entire length of the thigh.
Next, a tiny skin incision is made, and a small catheter is inserted into the affected vein. Using ultrasound guidance, the doctor makes sure that the catheter is in the correct place before they deliver the adhesive along the length of the vein. The adhesive immediately seals the vein walls together, causing the vein to collapse and preventing blood from pooling in that area. Over time, the sealed vein is gradually absorbed by the body, and blood is naturally redirected to other – healthier, functioning veins.
The VenaSeal™ procedure is quick, typically taking less than an hour, and it requires no tumescent infiltration (extensive injections of local anaesthetic), nor does it require the use of heat to burn the vein, which minimises discomfort and allows for a faster recovery.
In contrast to other procedures, VenaSeal™ doesn’t require patients to wear compression stockings afterwards – you simply get up, walk out the door and get back to your normal activities.
What are the advantages of VenaSeal™ treatment?
VenaSeal™ offers a number of advantages that make it an attractive option for treating varicose veins. One of the primary benefits is its minimally invasive nature, as it requires no heat, tumescent anaesthesia, or multiple needle injections, which are necessary with other endovenous treatments. This reduces the amount of discomfort and bruising patients experience both during and after treatment. The avoidance of the use of heat also reduces the risk of nerve damage and the extent of bruising.
The procedure is quick, usually completed in under an hour, and patients can return to their normal activities almost immediately, with no need for compression stockings afterwards. Additionally, VenaSeal™ has a high success rate in effectively sealing off problematic veins and providing long-term relief from the symptoms of varicose veins. It is at least as effective in terms of long-term outcomes as other endovenous methods like radiofrequency or laser, and there is some emerging data suggesting that it may even be slightly more effective – despite being less invasive and having fewer risks of common side effects.
How safe is VenaSeal™ and what are the risks of treatment?
VenaSeal™ is considered a safe and effective treatment for varicose veins, with a strong safety profile supported by clinical studies and widespread use. Because it is a minimally invasive procedure that does not involve heat or chemicals, the risks associated with VenaSeal™ are lower compared to some traditional treatments. However, as with any medical procedure, there are potential risks that you should understand before you choose to proceed with treatment.
Although the pain following the procedure is less than after other methods – that doesn’t mean it is pain-free. Most patients experience a bit of soreness or tenderness at the treatment site as well as some mild bruising and swelling. It is common for the vein that has been treated to become swollen, red, hard and lumpy. This is part of the process by which your body gets rid of the diseased veins.
In rare cases, allergic reactions to the adhesive or infection at the incision site can occur. There is also a risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition where a blood clot forms in a deep vein. This is a risk with any type of treatment in the leg – in fact, it’s a risk with any injury (accidental or controlled) in the leg. We help to reduce this risk by giving you medicine to thin the blood a little before treatment. We also encourage you to walk around and get back to normal as quickly as possible after treatment which further mitigates the risk.
Overall, VenaSeal™ is a well-tolerated and safe option for most patients. We will discuss all of the risks of treatments as part of your initial consultation and assessment.
Interested in VenaSeal™?
If you’d like to find out if VenaSeal™ is the right treatment for you, the first step is to fill out our online consultation form. From there, our team will be able to arrange an initial consultation and ultrasound scan, and we can work together to create a treatment plan that is tailored to your needs.
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Another beautiful deep plane face and neck lift result from @bramhallplasticsurgery . For patients who want the best possible improvement the deep plane remains the gold standard!
Ok. So this is a younger patient in her late 30s and a lot of people might reasonably say "She`s gorgeous, what does she need anything done for?"
And I agree. But she had a little bit of excess fatty tissue around her jawline and neck which really bothered her, especially when she moved her neck. She wanted her jawline to look a bit slimmer and more defined and so we did a Quantum Lift for her.
This is her just 24 hours later. Her bruising and swelling is not too bad at all, mainly because she didn`t have a huge amount done - although she still has a lot of healing to go over the next few months.
She is already loving the result however! What do you think?
Arm lift is rapidly becoming one of our most popular procedures in the clinic. For more minor cases we can often achieve enough tightening simply with some liposuction and Quantum RF.
When patients have more skin excess, however, and want the tightest result possible you cannot beat a traditional brachioplasty, which is what this patient had with the very talented Dr Kavita. The patient is delighted with the result.
What do you think?
This is a little sneak peek of our upcoming podcast between Dr Darren (@drdarrenmckeown) and our new body contouring expert, Dr George Christopolous (@gchristopoulos). The full video will be going live later this week.
On a scale of 1-10, how excited are we for George to start his body contouring in Scotland?
Thank you to this lovely 67 year old patient who has allowed us to share the early results of her deep plane face and neck lift.
She’s just three weeks post her procedure which she had under local anaesthetic and sedation with the ever-talented @bramhallplasticsurgery here in the clinic, and while she’s still a little swollen around the jawline (where swelling tends to hang around the longest), we think she’s looking absolutely fabulous already.
The patient is delighted. What do you think?
I’m super excited to welcome Dr George Christopoulos to the dream team at McKeown Medical.
George is a plastic surgeon with a particular interest in body contouring: liposuction, tummy tucks, arm lifts and thigh lifts.
What I really love about George’s work is his approach to liposuction. It’s not about simply emptying out as much fat as possible. He approaches the body almost like a sculptor, thinking about shape, proportion, contours, highlights and shadows. It’s those details that can elevate a fairly standard liposuction result into something really special.
You can check out some of his work on his own page @gchristopoulos
I’ve also filmed a podcast with George where we get into all things body contouring — what makes a great liposuction result, loose skin, tummy tucks, lipoedema, technology and quite a lot more. I’ll be posting that over the next couple of days.
In the meantime, if you want to meet the man himself, George’s diary is now open for consultations at McKeown Medical.
What does filler look like? This!
So many people are terrified of fillers. When it’s done well, this is what it looks like. Everything looks softer. The bags under the eyes look less obvious. But nothing looks different.
The patient is delighted. What do you think?
IS THE QUANTUM LIFT A CUT-PRICE FACELIFT?
No, and here’s why.
A deep plane facelift goes deeper into the face, removing deep fat, muscle and salivary glands which is how you get those sharp neck contours. The Quantum Lift works more superficially, tightening skin and reshaping jowls in 90 minutes under local anaesthetic, but it can’t reach those deeper structures.
I believe in the Quantum Lift. I just won’t pretend it suits everyone.
Good aesthetic medicine means the right procedure for the right patient, not one treatment doing it all.
#QuantumLift #FaceliftAlternative #NonSurgicalFacelift #SkinTightening #AestheticMedicine MedicalAesthetics GlasgowAesthetics GlasgowClinic
Some more Quantum Lift magic!
This patient is just 24 hours after her Quantum lift with fat redistribution. As part of the procedure we sometimes take some of excess fat that’s been removed from the neck and jowls and replace it along the chin and jaw to create more definition.
Although she’s still bruised and swollen, I think we can all already see where this result is heading.
The patient is delighted! What do you think?
Join us on Instagram to keep up with the latest results and expert insights from the clinic team.
Our dedicated team of experts are on hand to help you as you navigate your journey with us.
When you first make contact with us you will be assigned your own personal Patient Relationship Manager. They’ll start by understanding your needs and liaising with our doctors to book you an appointment with the most suitable specialist. For any additional questions or needs, you can message or call them anytime and they’ll be delighted to assist you. Our entire team is dedicated to providing you with the best possible treatment and care tailored to your needs.
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