MANY people in the UK suffer from varicose veins to some extent but if they are not causing problems they may not need treatment.

Ignoring varicose veins, however, is also not recommended as they may lead to leg ulcers – painful sores that can take months to heal – or less serious symptoms like skin damage or swollen ankles.

Varicose veins are swollen and enlarged veins that usually occur on the legs and feet. They may be blue or dark purple and are often lumpy, bulging or twisted to look at.

If you want treatment for them for cosmetic reasons, you may have to pay for cosmetic treatment privately.

Varicose veins may, however, ache and make your legs feel heavy and uncomfortable. You may have a burning or throbbing sensation in your legs and muscle cramp, especially at night.

You may also have dry, itchy and thin skin over the affected vein; you may have eczema here. These symptoms may be worse during warm weather or if you have been standing up for long periods. They may improve when you walk around or if you rest and raise your legs.

You may not need to see your GP if they are not causing any problems. However, NHS advice is to speak to your GP if they are causing pain or discomfort, if the skin over the veins is sore and irritated or if the aching in your legs is causing irritation at night, disturbing your sleep.

Varicose veins develop when the small valves inside the veins stop working properly. Normally, in a healthy vein, blood flows smoothly to the heart. It is prevented from flowing backwards by a series of tiny valves that open and close to let blood through.

If the valves weaken or are damaged, the blood can flow backwards and collect in the vein. This eventually causes it to be swollen and enlarged, or varicose.

Your chances of developing varicose veins are increased if you are female, have a close family member with varicose veins, are older, overweight or have a job that involves long periods of standing. Pregnancy can also increase the likelihood of varicose veins because of the extra strain on your veins caused by the developing baby and also because increased hormone levels cause the muscular walls of the blood vessels to relax. Most women find that their veins significantly improve after the baby is born.

Varicose veins do not always require treatment but, in any case, your GP may first recommend up to six months of using compression stockings, taking regular exercise and elevating the affected area when you are resting.

If they are still causing problems, they can be treated in different ways.

Mr Madu Onwudike, Consultant Vascular Surgeon at the Royal Bolton Hospital, explained that the majority of his patients who needed treatment would have endothermal ablation, where heat is used “to blast the vein and cause it to shrivel.”

This can be carried out mainly by radiofrequency energy. This heats the vein until its walls collapse, closing it and sealing it shut. Once this has happened, the blood is naturally redirected to one of the healthy veins.

Mr Onwudike added that this was used for around 70 per cent of his patients and produced “excellent results”. For others, sclerotherapy (injection of the veins) by a special foam, was employed and a much smaller percentage (around 5 per cent) had ligation and stripping where the affected veins are surgically removed.