When Sarah Woods, 35, met her new partner James in advertising, she quickly wanted to change something specific about her appearance which previously had held her back. As a teenager Sarah suffered from varicose veins and always covered her legs up. With a new partner and a bigger social life she wanted to ooze with confidence and wear the skirts and dresses she longed for. “EVLT at The Private Clinic was the best decision I made” said Sarah.
Since being a teenager I have suffered from varicose veins, they got progressively worse as time went by, and as a result I felt really uncomfortable showing my legs. Summertime was daunting as I didn’t wear skirts or go to the local swimming pools and I never showed my legs to close family, even my boyfriend. Furthermore my legs were constantly sore and itchy.
My mother also suffered from varicose veins until she went on the NHS to have them removed by the traditional stripping method. I saw her go through a lot of pain and it took a long time for her to recover. Although I wanted my varicose veins removed I really didn’t want to go through what my mother did.
It was then when I discovered The Private Clinic.
My boyfriend, James, knowing how uncomfortable I was about my legs told me he read about a minimally-invasive procedure called endovenous laser treatment (EVLT). We talked about it and I instantly did my research and booked myself in for a consultation at The Private Clinic. The opportunity to remove my varicose veins without surgery was something I couldn’t pass up; it seemed a far better way to get rid of them compared to having them done on the NHS.
I didn’t really know what to expect before going to The Private Clinic. James came with me and I had an appointment with Dr Kyriakides. The clinic was really nice, I’d never been to a private doctor, and everyone there was so helpful and friendly. The doctor talked things through; he asked me lots of questions about my medical history and the troubles I had experienced as a result of the veins. He then examined both of my legs, one leg had veins far bigger than the other, but both were pretty bad.
The doctor did an ultra sound scan of my legs. We both asked him plenty of questions about the treatment and the after effects and he was very helpful.
I decided to go ahead with the procedure.
In my mind I prefer not to dwell on things too much but the day before I started to get quite nervous. Although I was also quite excited about the prospect of getting rid of my veins. Fortunately, having kids meant I had plenty going on to take my mind off things.
I arrived at the clinic and the nurse was really nice and everyone there put me at ease. Dr Kyriakides came across really confidently which helped. During the treatment I stayed quite calm, the anaesthetic meant I couldn’t really feel much, just the occasional tug and movement but it wasn’t too bad and was over pretty quickly.
After the procedure my legs were bound with bandages to compress them and I was able to walk and get myself home. I felt fine at this point and good with anticipation knowing that my veins were all gone. Once the anaesthetic started to wear off I did find it uncomfortable so I took some painkillers which helped. In terms of discomfort the first few days were the worst, but my case was quite severe. I had left it more than 20 years to treat my varicose veins!
The bandages came off a couple of days later; I was really anxious about this and scared that it would hurt without them on. Once they came off I had some relief and also far more mobility. The discomfort eased over the next week, and the small cuts that were made during the operation healed. I can’t believe how great my legs look! The veins have gone and my legs are smooth, it’s amazing!
I would say I was back to normal life within a week. I went back for a check-up at the clinic and was told that the things I had experienced were quite normal. It’s now about 3 months since I had it done and I don’t think twice about it anymore, it was definitely worth everything! From speaking to my mum the experience I had was far better than what she went through, and I’d got back to normal life far quicker. My legs look incredible, I’ve looked back at photos from before my visit to the clinic and the difference is nothing short of drastic. I just wish I had had it done sooner!
