This is the third in a series of articles by Mark Whiteley of The Whiteley Clinic explaining about Varicose Veins and the treatments available for them.

In this article he explains the general treatment for varicose veins.

When the valves fail in the main superficial vein, the blood falls back down the vein rather than going up it. This causes increased pressure and so side branches can bulge lower in the leg (the "varicose veins").

To stop this happening, we need to stop the blood falling back down the main superficial vein - usually called the Great Saphenous Vein. This cannot be seen on the surface and so a special ultrasound test - a Duplex Ultrasound - is performed to check exactly which vein is causing the problem, and to see if any other veins are involved.

Once the correct vein is blocked or removed, blood cannot fall back down the leg through it and so this relieves the pressure of blood in the bulging varicose veins.

If you missed the last article in this series, you can find it on www.treatment-for-varicose-veins.co.uk.