sclerotherapy for varicose veins and spider veins

Sclerotherapy is a non-surgical procedure used to eliminate varicose and spider (telangiectasias) veins and may help patients who experience symptoms from leg vein problems. Affected vessels are injected with a sclerosant solution, which causes the vessel to collapse and ultimately disappear. Performed in-office, the procedure takes anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes depending on the number of veins being treated and their size. Multiple sessions at a bi-weekly or monthly interval may be required.

Sclerotherapy can be performed on women of any age, most fall in the 30-60 range. In most cases, spider veins that surface during pregnancy will disappear on their own within three months after the baby is born.

Comparitively, spider veins in men aren't as common as in women. And often men who do have spider veins don't consider them a cosmetic problem if they are concealed by leg hair. However, sclerotherapy is just as effective a solution for spider veins in men.

Although you should take it easy for at least two days following the procedure, sclerotherapy generally does not require any recovery period. After treatment, external compression is applied to the treated areas and patients are encouraged to wear elastic bandages or support stockings for a few days, which aid in the closure of treated veins and ensure the best possible cosmetic result. You should be aware that your treated veins will look worse before they begin to look better.


microsclerotherapy

During microsclerotherapy a very fine needle is used to access spider veins under high-powered magnification loops. Treatment can involve 5 to 40 injections per session with each injection covering a vein area of approximately 2 to 3 cm.

Microsclerotherapy procedure is enhanced with the use of transillumination. A high-powered, color corrected polarized illumination system (Syris Visualization System ) highlights the vessels, allowing superior targeting of tissue.

Spider veins are frequently caused by deep reticular or "feeder" veins. These feeder veins are usually not visible to the naked eye and can best be seen using the VeinLite, which uses a very bright ring of cold fiber optic light to illuminate the skin from beneath. Reticular veins appear in full contrast and can be easily identified and accessed for treatment with sclerotherapy, thus commonly preventing the reoccurance of spider veins.


foam sclerotherapy

Performed on both reticular veins as well as larger varicose veins, foam sclerotherapy is a new approach to conventional sclerotherapy. Mixing a sclerosant detergent with air, a foam is created with a consistency very similar to that of shaving cream. Unlike a liquid sclerosing agent, the foams thicker attribute allows it to remain in contact with the vessel wall for a prolonged period after injection, which enables the treatment of larger varicose veins.


ultrasound guided sclerotherapy

Ultrasound guided sclerotherapy is used to direct the sclerosant agent more precisely into the damaged vein. This permits the injection of larger veins that once required more invasive treatments.

For more information on vein treatments click on the links above or download our PDF brochure.
[ Vein Treatment Brochure ]

[ Possible Risks and Complications of Sclerotherapy Treatments ]