For confirmed cases of varicose veins, NICE recommends that endothermal ablation, radiofrequency or laser, should be offered. If endothermal treatment is not suitable, then ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy should be offered. Endovenous Thermal Ablation or Endothermal Ablation (ETA) describes certain treatments used for targeting refluxing superficial veins which use heat energy delivered from inside the vein under local anaesthesia, as a treatment for varicose veins. When laser is used as the energy source it is called Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA), but Radiofrequency can also be used in a treatment called Radiofrequency Ablation or RF Ablation (RFA). RFA is a process of heating a vein sufficiently so that the tissue contracts tightly during the heating process, closing the vein, and the cells in the vein wall die so that the vein can never reopen again. The cost of RFA will depend on the number of varicose veins being treated, the severity of them and whether one leg or both legs is being treated. Private prices range from £2,000 to £5,000.

We would like to thank Vascular Surgeon Prof Mark Whiteley from The Whiteley Clinic for his expert medical help.