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About Dr Mark Denekamp

Hi, no doubt you'd like to know a little about me.  I'm Mark Denekamp, the doctor who started Springdale Clinic with a specific interest in treating veins.  Especially varicose veins, but also other vein problems.

Graduating in 1977 from Auckland Medical School, I initially chose to work in general practice with family medicine.  

This included doing obstetric work.

I delivered quite a number of babies over the years.  

With my practice I got to see these babies progress to young children, teenagers and ultimately adults with families of their own.

About information on Dr Mark Denekamp founder of Springdale Clinic and VeinRemedy.comDr Mark Denekamp M.B. Ch.B. Dip.Obs. FRNZCGP FACP MNZSCM

Delivering babies, although it had its heart-stopping moments at times, was always a positive, generally joyous occasion for the families.  

In time, though, things changed.  With government and health department initiatives midwives were introduced with similar reimbursements to those of the doctors involved.

Interestingly this blew the government's budget.  Something had to be done.  Difficult calls were made.  Doctors found their position had changed.  Most of us got out of general practice obstetrics.

A Change of Direction

Looking for another interest to focus or specialise on, I came across people injecting leg veins to cure them.  

It looked interesting.

After finding out what options there were to be trained in this I elected to go for mentor training in New South Wales, Australia.  

Dr Paul Thibault was the founding president of the Sclerotherapy Society of Australasia.  He had embraced techniques being established in Europe.  He published some of the very early studies about the techniques often in association with other pioneers in the USA and Europe.

Starting from my own general practice, doing basic fine leg veins with associated spider veins, I learned how the body responded to treatments.

Very quickly people were commenting about how much they enjoyed their results.  Both looks and often symptoms were greatly improved.  

It gave them a new lease on life.

Springdale Clinic

With the encouraging response and increasing interest I set up Springdale Clinic to pursue vein treatments full time.

Initially I spend two full days a week.  

In less than a year I left regular general practice to work in Springdale Clinic full time.  

From the beginning this included doing ultrasound imaging at the practice.  With the volume of patients daily examinations rapidly built my skill and knowledge about the variation and presentations of vein problems.

From the beginning I was also treating face and other problem veins in the body.  I also performed other non-surgical cosmetic procedures, having learned these with Dr Paul Thibault too.

About College Changes

The Sclerotherapy Society of Australasia grew over a few years to the point it was decided a more formal college should be formed.  It became the Australasian College of Phlebology (phlebology being the study of veins).

It developed its syllabus and training programmes embracing a broad base.  This included coagulation status, management of disorders of thrombosis, associated skin and hereditary conditions and lymphology.

I was inducted as a founding fellow of the college at its inauguration in Sydney, Australia.  I continue to be involved in their annual conferences, examinations at times, sharing of outcomes and collegial support.

The international umbrella group of the UIP holds it major conferences every four or so years.  I get to hear and meet with a wide range of fellow doctors in phlebology, surgery, haematology, dermatology and radiology through these.

Vein Treatment Changes

I found one of the stimulating parts of treating veins, aside from the continued joy people experienced from their results, was how it was continuing to evolve.

New techniques were being found to manage problem veins in the most effective way.

Our early sclerotherapy was scaled up with the use of foams from the sclerosants. Using fine filters I established a rapid way to form these that was shared in our literature by Dr Mitch Goldman.

As initially trials in the the United Kingdom with laser treatment for the underlying veins showed promise, this became the next major shift in management.

With cautious trialling of the new technique I saw some very superb results.  Nothing in biology is ever 100% in predictable outcomes.  But this came close.

Patients and I were really encouraged and happy with the rapid, more secure clearing of vein problems.

I had always been interested in lasers from student days.

I had been treating surface veins with laser for some years before using it for varicose veins.  

Laser technology has continued to interest me. By following a number of conferences and reading I realised there were quite a number of possibilities with laser technology that are only just being touched at the moment.

There will be more to come!

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