Varicose vein treatment closes or removes leg veins whose valves have failed, so blood stops pooling and is rerouted through healthy veins. Modern treatment seals the faulty trunk vein from inside with heat, glue or foam rather than stripping it out.
It relieves aching, heaviness, swelling and skin damage and improves appearance. It does not stop new varicose veins forming over the years, because the underlying tendency remains.
What Varicose Vein Treatment involves
A duplex ultrasound scan while you stand maps which veins leak; treatment is planned from this map. For endovenous thermal ablation, the surgeon numbs the skin, passes a thin laser or radiofrequency fibre into the saphenous vein under ultrasound, surrounds the vein with dilute local anaesthetic, and heats it closed as the fibre is withdrawn. Glue closure delivers medical adhesive instead of heat. Bulging side branches are removed through 2 to 3 mm nicks (phlebectomy) or injected with foam sclerosant. A compression stocking goes on at the end and you walk out.
Who is a good candidate for Varicose Vein Treatment?
It suits people with symptoms or skin changes and reflux confirmed on ultrasound.
- Aching, heavy, itchy or swollen legs with visible varicose veins
- Skin darkening, eczema or a healed or active venous ulcer
- Bleeding or phlebitis from a varicose vein
- People with proven saphenous vein reflux on duplex scan
It is usually not the right choice if:
- Pregnant women, who should wait until some months after delivery
- People with a current deep vein thrombosis or blocked deep veins
- Those with poor arterial circulation in the leg
- People who cannot walk, as walking after treatment prevents clots
- Anyone with thread veins only, which need sclerotherapy rather than ablation
Technique options
- Endovenous laser ablation (EVLA): The standard treatment for a leaking great or small saphenous vein.
- Radiofrequency ablation: Equivalent results to laser, with slightly less bruising in some studies.
- Cyanoacrylate glue closure: No heat, so fewer injections; useful below the knee near nerves.
- Ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy: For tortuous or recurrent veins; may need repeating.
- Ambulatory phlebectomy: Removes bulging surface veins through tiny incisions.
- Surgical ligation and stripping: Now reserved for veins unsuitable for endovenous methods.
What happens during your treatment
One leg takes 45 to 90 minutes under local anaesthetic, sometimes with light sedation. You feel several needle stings as the anaesthetic goes in, then pushing but not heat. You walk for 15 to 20 minutes before leaving and go back to your hotel the same day.
Preparing for your trip
Plan for 5 to 7 days in Istanbul. Your surgeon reviews photographs and your medical history before you book, and you meet in person the day before surgery for examination, marking and consent with a professional interpreter.
- Stop smoking and nicotine at least four weeks before and after surgery; it is the single biggest avoidable cause of wound problems
- Tell the team about every medicine and supplement you take; blood thinners, some herbal products and hormone treatment may need to be paused on your doctor's advice
- Arrange for someone to travel with you or to be reachable, and keep the first days at home free of work and lifting
- Book a changeable return flight; your surgeon confirms when you are fit to fly
Recovery and results
Wear the compression stocking for 1 to 2 weeks as instructed. Walk every day from day one. Bruising, tightness along the thigh and tender lumps peak at about one week and fade over 3 to 6 weeks. Desk work is possible within 1 to 3 days. Avoid hot baths, heavy gym work and long immobility for 2 weeks. A check ultrasound is done before you fly.
- Back to everyday activity: 1 to 3 days off desk work
- When results show: Symptoms ease within weeks; appearance settles in 2 to 3 months
- How long they last: Treated veins stay closed in over 9 in 10; new veins can develop
Safety, risks and revision policy
Complications are usually minor, but clots matter for anyone about to take a flight.
- Bruising and a pulling, cord-like feeling along the treated vein
- Patches of numbness from skin nerve irritation, usually temporary
- Brown staining or matting of tiny veins on the skin
- Phlebitis in remaining surface veins
- Deep vein thrombosis, in fewer than 1 in 100
- Skin burn, which is rare
- Recurrence of varicose veins over the following years
Every written proposal arranged through Clinic-Y states what the clinic covers if a correction is needed. Ask for it before you book, not after.
Cost of Varicose Vein Treatment in Türkiye
Clinic-Y does not publish a single price for Varicose Vein Treatment, because the honest figure depends on your case. What moves it:
- One leg or both
- Technique used, with glue and radiofrequency catheters costing more
- How many branch veins need phlebectomy or foam
- Duplex scans before and after
Send your photographs or reports and you receive written, all-inclusive proposals from suitable teams, side by side. Reviewing your case is free.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can I fly after treatment?
Many surgeons advise waiting about a week for short flights and longer for long-haul, after a normal check scan. Wear your stocking, walk the aisle and drink water.
Can both legs be done in one visit?
Often yes, in the same session or a few days apart.
Will the veins come back?
The sealed vein rarely reopens, but new varicose veins appear in a fair number of people within 5 to 10 years. Top-up foam treatment is simple.
Do I still need stockings long term?
Not usually, unless you have skin damage, ulcers or swelling.