Compression socks and hosiery

Why wear compression stockings?

Compression hosiery/stockings can be used:

1. For relief from varicose veins symptoms in the short term. Longer term most people prefer to treat the varicose veins as wearing stockings on a daily basis can be uncomfortable, especially in the warmer months.
2. After Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA), Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA)  or Ultrasound Guided Sclerotherapy (UGS) treatment of varicose veins. Most of our patients would agree that wearing compression hosiery after RFA or UGS treatment is not too arduous but it is a vital part of the treatment. The hosiery helps the healing process in the varicose and spider veins and protects you from blood clots in the main deep veins. We will fit you with the special hosiery after the injections.
3. After Microsclerotherapy treatment of spider veins
4. After liposuction of the legs.
5. Compression hosiery is very useful for helping to prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and swelling during air travel or prolonged car travel. For maximum benefit, the hosiery should be worn for the entire flight duration.

Instructions for Wearing Compression Hosiery

You must closely follow the instructions that we give you for wearing the hosiery.

Varicose Veins

You must wear the Class 2 compression hosiery 24 hours a day, including sleeping and showering  for the first THREE DAYS after treatment. From DAY FOUR onwards you can remove the hosiery for sleeping and showering but must wear them during the daytime until two weeks from the first day of treatment.

Spider Veins

The hosiery is a lighter Class 1 compression and only needs to be worn for THREE DAYS for 24 hours a day, then for FOUR DAYS just during the daytime.

Types of Hosiery

Patients having one leg treated will have a single stocking, those having two legs treated will have a pair.

The stockings in most cases come up to just below the knee. We have a full-sock option (whole foot enclosed), or an open-toe stocking. Our staff will guide you on which option you may find more comfortable. 

The hosiery is fitted to you by either leg measurements, or by your height and weight. Don’t let the stocking gather in the crease behind your knee, as it will dig in and possibly cause a rash. Sometimes you must adjust the height of the stocking to give the skin a break. On the foot keep the open end of the stocking down by the ball of the foot. If it rides up to the middle of the foot you will get swelling in your toes.

Most patients get a few ladders in the hosiery during the treatment – this does not matter.

We have tried a number of different brands over the years, and the ones we use currently are the most comfortable we can find. The hosiery is firm, but not unduly thick – certainly not as thick as Grandma’s support stockings! Because they are firm, they tend to work their way down the leg during the day, and you may find yourself pulling them up fairly frequently. The most common comment we get is that the stockings are not the correct size – half say the stockings must be too big because they keep slipping down, the other half say the stockings must be too small because they keep slipping down. Unfortunately some legs don’t fit well in stockings, but we do our best to find the right fit for you.

Showering in Hosiery

You must not take the hosiery off for the first THREE DAYS, so you must wear them while showering. Treat them like a second skin. It is true that the hosiery is not easy to dry. Try using a fresh towel on the hosiery, and drying the thicker parts with a hair dryer. Many patients have a sponge bath in the morning and a complete shower later in the day when they have more time. Be careful in the shower – water, soap and hosiery can be very slippery.

Colours

The pantyhose come in two colours: “nude” or “black”, the full length single stockings are in “nude” only.