Vein stripping is a surgical procedure done under general

General anaesthetic

A general anaesthetic is a drug that brings about a reversible loss of consciousness. These drugs are generally administered by an anaesthesia provider to induce or maintain general anaesthesia to facilitate surgery...

 or local anaesthetic to remove varicose veins

Varicose veins

Varicose veins are veins that have become enlarged and tortuous. The term commonly refers to the veins on the leg, although varicose veins can occur elsewhere. Veins have leaflet valves to prevent blood from flowing backwards . Leg muscles pump the veins to return blood to the heart, against the...

. The surgery involves making one or more incisions upon the desired area (usually the groin or leg) followed by insertion of a special wire into the vein. The wire is tied to and advanced through the vein to a desired depth. The vein is then pulled out from the body. The incisions are stitched up, and pressure dressings are applied to the incision.

An overnight hospital stay is sometimes required, although some clinics may do it as a day surgery procedure.