Varicose Veins Treatment in Wakad — Sharvari Hospital, Pune
Sharvari Hospital treats varicose veins with duplex-guided endovenous laser ablation (EVLT) at its 50-bed campus in Pimple Nilakh, behind Gulmohor Park — about 2.1 km from Wakad chowk, usually a five to eight minute drive. Assessment begins with a venous duplex ultrasound to map exactly which valves have failed, because treating varicose veins without that map is the most reliable way to see them return. Most EVLT patients walk within a couple of hours and go home the same day.
Aching legs at the end of a shift, heaviness that worsens through the day, ankle swelling by evening, night cramps, itching over a visible vein, or brown staining of the skin above the ankle — these are venous symptoms, not ageing. Wakad and the Hinjewadi corridor generate both halves of the risk profile: staff who stand through long retail, hospitality and security shifts, and IT professionals who sit through ten-hour days with minimal calf movement.
Dr. Kundan Kharde brings 19+ years of surgical experience to this service. The hospital is ISO 9001:2015 certified, empanelled with 50+ insurers for cashless treatment, and admits 24×7.
Why varicose veins happen
Leg veins carry blood upward against gravity, helped by one-way valves and by the calf muscle acting as a pump. When those valves fail, blood refluxes downward and pools in the superficial veins, which stretch and become visible, twisted and symptomatic. The tendency to valve failure is largely inherited — most patients can name a parent or sibling with the same legs.
What daily life changes is how fast symptoms appear and progress. Long static standing and long static sitting both defeat the calf pump. Pregnancy raises venous pressure and hormone-driven vein wall laxity. Excess weight, chronic constipation and heavy lifting with a held breath all add abdominal pressure that impedes venous return. Occupation matters in this corridor specifically: shift workers on their feet, and IT staff whose calves barely move between 9am and 8pm.
Symptoms — and the ones that mean act now
- Aching, heaviness or throbbing that worsens through the day and eases with the legs elevated.
- Ankle swelling by evening, particularly on the side with visible veins.
- Night cramps and restless legs — commonly blamed on calcium, often venous.
- Itching or eczema over a vein, and dry flaking skin around the ankle.
- Brown or purple skin staining above the ankle — this is pigment from leaked blood and signals established venous hypertension.
- Hardened, tight skin above the ankle (lipodermatosclerosis) — a pre-ulcer stage.
Needs urgent review: a sudden hard, red, painful cord along a vein (superficial thrombophlebitis); an open ulcer near the ankle; bleeding from a vein, which can be surprisingly brisk — lie down, elevate the leg and press firmly, then call us; or a whole-leg swelling with calf pain, which needs deep vein thrombosis excluded. Use +91 951 951 1928, available 24/7.
Duplex ultrasound comes first
A venous duplex scan is the foundation of the whole plan. It shows which veins are refluxing, at what point the valve failure begins, how large the affected segments are, and — critically — whether the deep venous system is healthy. If the deep system is obstructed, the superficial veins may be doing useful collateral work and closing them would be actively harmful.
This is why we do not quote a treatment or a price before scanning. Two people with visually identical legs can need entirely different procedures. Being offered laser treatment on the basis of a look at your legs alone is the most common reason varicose veins recur after treatment elsewhere.
Treatment options
Compression and conservative care: Graduated compression stockings, calf exercises, elevation and weight management. This controls symptoms and slows progression but does not reverse valve failure. It is the right answer for mild disease, during pregnancy, and for patients unfit for a procedure.
Endovenous laser ablation (EVLT): The main treatment here. A laser fibre is passed inside the faulty vein under ultrasound guidance and controlled energy seals it; blood reroutes through healthy deep veins. Local tumescent or spinal anaesthesia, day-care discharge, walking the same day.
Sclerotherapy: An irritant solution collapses smaller veins and spider veins. Often used to finish the cosmetic result after the main refluxing trunk has been dealt with.
Ambulatory phlebectomy: Bulging surface veins removed through tiny punctures needing no stitches, commonly combined with EVLT in the same sitting.
Conventional surgery: Ligation and stripping still has a place in selected anatomy, though it is now the exception rather than the default.
Ulcer care: Where disease has reached ulceration, treatment combines correcting the reflux with structured compression dressing — the two together, since neither alone reliably heals a venous ulcer.
Recovery after EVLT
- Day 0: Walking within an hour or two; discharge the same day in most cases. Compression stocking applied before you leave.
- Days 1-3: Normal walking encouraged — it genuinely reduces clot risk. Desk work usually resumes here.
- Week 1: Bruising and a pulling, tight sensation along the treated vein is expected. Standing work typically resumes around now.
- Weeks 2-6: Compression as advised. Bruising fades; the cord-like feel of the sealed vein softens gradually.
- Follow-up duplex: A check scan confirms the vein has stayed closed and no clot has propagated.
Long-haul flights and long train journeys are best deferred for a few weeks after any venous procedure. Tell us if travel is planned so it can be factored into timing.
Cost, insurance and how to reach us
Cost depends on how many segments need treating, whether one or both legs are involved, whether phlebectomy or sclerotherapy is combined with EVLT, anaesthesia and room category. It is itemised before consent. Insurers generally cover varicose veins treatment when it is documented as medical — symptoms plus duplex-proven reflux — and generally exclude purely cosmetic spider vein work. Some retail policies carry a specific waiting period, so bring your policy document and the insurance desk will check the clause before anything is scheduled.
Getting here from Wakad: Wakad Chowk → Vishal Nagar road → behind Gulmohor Park → Sharvari Hospital, Pimple Nilakh, Pune 411027. About 2.1 km and 5-8 minutes, longer in evening peak. Nearest bus stops are Wakad Chowk, Vishal Nagar and Bhumkar Chowk; PCMC Metro Station works with a short auto. On-site patient parking is available.
Frequently asked questions
- Where can I get varicose veins treatment near Wakad?
- Sharvari Hospital in Pimple Nilakh, behind Gulmohor Park, is about 2.1 km from Wakad chowk — typically 5 to 8 minutes. Duplex ultrasound assessment, endovenous laser ablation (EVLT), sclerotherapy and conventional surgery are all available on one campus, so diagnosis and treatment do not require two different centres.
- Are varicose veins just a cosmetic problem?
- Sometimes, but frequently not. Spider veins and small superficial veins can be purely cosmetic. True varicose veins caused by valve failure in the saphenous system are a circulatory problem, and left untreated a proportion progress to skin discolouration around the ankle, eczema, hardening of the tissue and eventually venous ulcers that are slow and difficult to heal. Aching, heaviness and night cramps are symptoms, not vanity.
- What is EVLT and how is it different from old varicose vein surgery?
- Endovenous laser ablation treats the faulty vein from the inside. A thin laser fibre is passed into the vein under ultrasound guidance and controlled energy seals it shut, so blood reroutes through healthy deep veins. It replaces the older approach of stripping the vein out through groin and leg incisions. In practice it means local or spinal anaesthesia rather than general, day-care discharge, walking the same day, and far less bruising and downtime.
- Do I need a scan before treatment?
- Yes, always. A venous duplex ultrasound maps which veins are refluxing, where the valve failure starts, and whether the deep venous system is normal. Treating varicose veins without a duplex scan is guesswork, and it is the single most common reason people get treated and see the veins return. Any centre offering to treat you without one should be questioned.
- I stand all day at work. Is that why I have varicose veins?
- It contributes rather than causes. The underlying problem is failure of one-way valves in the leg veins, which has a strong hereditary component — most patients have a parent or sibling affected. Prolonged standing, and prolonged sitting, worsen the venous pooling that makes symptoms appear and progress. In the Wakad and Hinjewadi corridor we see both patterns: retail, hospitality and security staff who stand, and IT staff who sit through ten-hour days.
- Will my insurance cover varicose veins treatment?
- Usually yes, provided it is documented as a medical rather than cosmetic problem — symptoms such as pain, swelling, skin changes or ulceration, supported by duplex evidence of reflux. Purely cosmetic spider vein treatment is generally excluded. Sharvari Hospital is empanelled with 50+ insurers and cashless pre-authorisation is started during the OPD visit. Bring your policy document, as some retail policies apply a waiting period to varicose veins specifically.
- How long is recovery after EVLT?
- Most patients walk within an hour or two of the procedure and go home the same day. Desk-based work is usually resumed in 2 to 3 days, and standing work in about a week. You will wear graduated compression stockings for a few weeks — this part is not optional and materially affects the result. Bruising and a pulling sensation along the treated vein for 1 to 2 weeks is normal and settles.
- Can varicose veins come back after treatment?
- The treated vein stays sealed. What can happen over years is that other veins develop reflux, since the underlying valve weakness is constitutional and does not go away. Published recurrence figures vary; accurate duplex mapping before treatment, treating all refluxing segments rather than only the visible ones, and wearing compression as advised all reduce it. We will tell you honestly what your leg looks likely to need over time.
- Is treatment painful?
- EVLT is done under local tumescent or spinal anaesthesia, so the procedure itself is not painful. Afterwards, most patients describe a tight, bruised, pulling sensation along the vein rather than sharp pain, well managed with simple oral analgesics. It is a considerably easier recovery than the older vein stripping operation, which is the experience most people have heard about from an older relative.
- What happens if I ignore them?
- Many varicose veins progress slowly and some stay stable for years. The reason not to ignore them is the group that progresses: persistent ankle swelling, brown skin staining, hardened tissue above the ankle, and eventually venous ulceration, which can take months to heal and tends to recur. Reaching that stage makes treatment more complicated than dealing with the reflux earlier. Sudden pain, redness and hardness along a vein needs urgent review as it may be superficial thrombophlebitis.
Get your legs assessed properly
Book a consultation with a duplex scan so the plan is based on what your valves are actually doing. If you have an ulcer, bleeding from a vein, or a hot painful cord along a vein, use the 24/7 route rather than waiting for OPD.