This is usually the first choice of treatment for varicose veins. It works by blocking blood flow in the veins, so they become less swollen.

The main steps are:

1. You'll usually be awake during the procedure. You'll have a local anaesthetic, so you will not feel any pain.
2. A thin tube called a catheter is passed up your vein, from a small cut at your ankle or knee. An ultrasound scan is used to place the catheter.
3. A device is put through the catheter and energy from radio waves (radiofrequency ablation) or a laser (endovenous laser treatment) is used to heat the vein that's causing your symptoms. This closes it off, so that blood stops flowing through it.
4. The catheter is slowly removed.

You'll have the procedure in a hospital or clinic. You'll be able to go home the same day.

You may need to wear compression stockings for about a week. You may have some pain and bruising, but you should be able to go back to most of your usual activities straight away.

You'll usually be offered foam sclerotherapy if endothermal ablation is not suitable for you.

The main steps are:

1. You'll be awake during the procedure. You'll have a local anaesthetic, so you will not feel any pain.
2. You'll have injections into your vein of a chemical mixed with air (foam). An ultrasound scan is used to make sure the injections are in the right place.
3. The chemical blocks the vein, so that blood stops flowing through it.

You'll have the procedure in a hospital or clinic. You'll be able to go home the same day.

You may need to wear compression stockings for about a week. You may have some pain and bruising, but you should be able to go back to most of your usual activities straight away.

You may be offered surgery to remove varicose veins, called ligation and stripping, if simpler procedures are not suitable for you.

The main steps are:

1. The surgeon will mark your legs to show where the vein needs to be removed.
2. You'll usually be asleep during the operation. You'll have a general anaesthetic, so you will not feel any pain.
3. The surgeon makes 1 cut in your upper leg (groin) and a 2nd cut lower down your leg, at your knee or ankle.
4. The surgeon finds the vein through the 1st cut and ties it, to stop blood flowing.
5. A thin, flexible wire is passed down the vein to the 2nd cut. The surgeon uses the wire to pull the vein out.
6. The cuts are closed using stitches that dissolve so they do not need to be removed.

You can usually go home the same day. Moving around may be uncomfortable for a few days, and you may have some pain and bruising for a few weeks. You may need to take 1 to 2 weeks off work.

Your leg will be tightly bandaged or you'll need to wear compression stockings for about a week.

Compression stockings work by putting pressure on your lower legs. This improves your blood flow and can help with swelling and pain.

You'll only be offered compression stockings for varicose veins if procedures or surgery are not suitable for you, or if you do not need other treatments.

They're not suitable if you have problems with blood flow in your arteries. A specialist can check for this.

There are different types of stockings, and it's important to talk to a doctor or pharmacist to make sure you get the right type for you.

It's best to wear them during the day and remove them at bedtime.