A woman who was self-conscious about her legs has enjoyed a summer in skirts, shorts and dresses after undergoing a treatment for varicose veins at Spire Regency Hospital.
Debbie is thrilled with the difference the VNUS radio frequency procedure has made.
The treatment – which uses energy from a radio frequency to heat the lining of the vein, causing it to seal - offers a possible solution to the problem without invasive surgery.
Use of this treatment is in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines which say less invasive heat and laser treatments should be used to treat varicose veins, with surgery a last resort.*
Debbie, from Macclesfield, has first-hand experience of the difference between surgery and other procedures.
Twenty years ago she underwent heat treatment on a varicose vein in her right leg at Spire Regency Hospital.
Shortly afterwards her left leg also deteriorated, but she and husband Shaun no longer had private medical insurance, which meant she had to have surgery on the NHS. This treatment, which required Debbie to be put under general anaesthetic and undergo stitches, left her with noticeable scars in her leg, groin and ankle.
Then this summer the problem in her left leg came back. This time she resolved to return to Spire Regency Hospital and have the same heat procedure which had successfully treated her right leg carried out on her left.
Debbie said: “After seeing the difference between the heat treatment and surgery and comparing the results I knew I wanted to go back to the Regency. I have never had any problems in my right leg since having that first procedure at the Regency 20 years ago – now I hope it will be the same with my left leg.”
Debbie, aged 47, was driven forward to resolve the issue which was knocking her confidence after losing five and a half stone over the past year.
“Losing the weight was a real confidence boost, but I still didn’t feel comfortable with my legs,” she said.
“Shaun and I went on a trip of a lifetime to Jamaica at New Year to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary – I wanted to wear shorter skirts and shorts but I felt like my leg was such a mess I didn’t have the confidence to do it.”
But after undergoing the treatment at Spire Regency Hospital with Mr Ferdinand Serracino-Inglott in June – when she was in and out of hospital within a few hours and able to remove the bandage within five days – Debbie has been able to enjoy a whole new summer wardrobe.
“I’m really pleased with the results and everyone at the Regency was brilliant - I couldn’t fault a thing,” she said.
“I invested in a whole new summer wardrobe – and when I attended for my follow up appointment I even turned up in shorts! The treatment was money well spent.”