Vein treatment before and after photos

Before and after photographs are a useful way to understand what vein treatment can achieve. They also need more interpretation than most, because vein treatment results appear gradually and because what is visible on the surface is only part of the picture.

Photographs are shown and discussed during consultation with Me Clinic's phlebologist, alongside your ultrasound findings.

The standards these photos must meet

Before and after images used by registered health practitioners in Australia are governed by the Medical Board of Australia's Guidelines for advertising regulated health services.

Images must be genuine - real patients, real results.
Photographs on this website have been retouched only to protect patient privacy, never to enhance or alter the results of treatment.
Images must carry a clear and prominent disclaimer that results may vary between individuals.
Patients must consent to the use of their images.

Results may vary between individuals. A photograph records one person's outcome, not a prediction of yours.

The single most important thing: how long after

Vein treatment does not produce an immediate change. Treated veins are closed off or scarred shut, and the body then reabsorbs them over a period of weeks to months. Bruising and discolouration are common in the early weeks and settle afterwards.

This means:

An "after" photograph taken at two weeks can look worse than the before, because of bruising and pigmentation that has not yet resolved.
A meaningful result photograph is generally taken several months after treatment.
Multiple treatment sessions are often required, particularly for sclerotherapy. A photograph may represent the outcome of a course of treatment rather than a single session.

When looking at any vein photograph, the first question to ask is how long after treatment it was taken and how many sessions were involved.

What the surface does not show

Visible veins are frequently the surface sign of underlying venous reflux - valves in deeper veins that no longer close properly, allowing blood to flow backwards and pool. A duplex ultrasound scan is used to map this.

This matters for interpreting photographs in two ways:

Different patients need different treatments. Someone with underlying reflux may need endovenous laser treatment or ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy to address the source, whereas someone with isolated surface veins may be treated with direct sclerotherapy. The photographs are not comparable.
Treating the surface without treating the source tends to be followed by recurrence. Where a photograph shows a durable result, the underlying cause was generally addressed.

How to read the photographs

Consistent conditions. Same lighting, angle, distance and position. Leg veins look markedly different standing versus lying down - standing distends them - so both frames should show the same position, and a standing "before" against a lying-down "after" tells you nothing.
Which condition. Fine surface spider veins (telangiectasia), reticular veins and large bulging varicose veins are different problems treated differently. Compare like with like.
Symptoms are invisible. Aching, heaviness, swelling, itching, restless legs and night cramps are common reasons for treatment, and no photograph shows whether they improved.

Why your result will differ

Outcomes vary depending on the type and extent of the veins, whether underlying reflux is present, skin type, the treatment used, the number of sessions completed, and individual healing. Pigmentation after sclerotherapy is more noticeable and slower to fade in some people.

Varicose veins are a progressive condition. Treatment addresses the veins present now; it does not prevent new veins from developing later, and some people require maintenance treatment over time. Wearing compression stockings as directed after treatment materially affects the result.

Costs

A vein consultation with a doctor, which may include ultrasound, is $230 as at September 2024 including GST. Sclerotherapy starts from $470, ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy from $740, and endovenous laser treatment from $4,200. Costs vary with the severity and extent of the condition. A partial Medicare rebate may be available for some consultations with a valid GP referral.

Risks

All procedures carry risks and potential complications. For vein treatment these include bruising, swelling, pain or discomfort, skin discolouration and pigmentation which is usually temporary but can persist, matting (development of fine new vessels near the treated area), inflammation of the treated vein, skin ulceration at an injection site, infection, allergic reaction to the sclerosant, nerve irritation causing numbness or tingling, deep vein thrombosis, and recurrence.

Please read our information on the risks and complications of cosmetic surgery before proceeding.

Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.

See vein treatments, vein treatment costs, or all body procedures.