What is Sclerotherapy?
Cosmetic sclerotherapy is a popular outpatient procedure among both patients and doctors as a technique to treat smaller veins. Sclerotherapy is successful to treat spider veins and small varicose veins in 50 to 80% of veins treated. You will have a vein consultation with Dr. Handley before the best treatment is recommended. During this procedure, a pharmaceutical agent is injected into the abnormal vein. The agent irritates the vein wall, causing it to swell and seal shut. After the injection, you may feel discomfort or cramping for the first couple of minutes. Overall, the procedure takes less than 30 minutes, depending on how many spider veins are treated.
What are the Results of Sclerotherapy?
This form of spider vein removal can be conducted independently or in tandem with other procedures. The number of veins treated at each session depends on the location and size of the veins being removed. It is usually recommended for spider veins on the legs. For best results, patients are often recommended to wear compression stockings or hosiery after spider vein treatments. Immediately following sclerotherapy treatment, you can drive yourself home and resume your normal activities.
Some patients notice immediate results, while others see a more gradual improvement. Within a few days, swelling and other side effects like itching will subside. You may have bruising after sclerotherapy, but this will go away after a few days or weeks. Full results may not be seen for up to six months, especially for larger veins or if brown lines or new, tiny blood vessels appear. You may have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Handley to see how successful sclerotherapy was on removing your veins, and whether an additional or different procedure should be done.