Sclerotherapy refers to an innovative medical procedure that’s used to eliminate both spider veins and varicose veins. Sclerotherapy treatment involves injecting a salt-based solution directly into the patient’s vein, where it works to irritate the blood vessel lining by making it swell up and stick together, resulting in helping the blood to clot. In time, the blood vessel develops scar tissue and subsequently fades away.
How Sclerotherapy Treatment Works
Sclerotherapy utilizes a special injection of a certain chemical into the varicose or spider vein to damage and then scar the vein’s inside lining, which makes the vein collapse.
During Sclerotherapy treatment, the target leg is adequately elevated to drain the blood while the solution is injected directly into the vein. The entire process takes somewhere between 5 minutes up to a half an hour in our Orlando office. Your treatment will vary depending on the number of varicose veins that require treatment in addition to their size.
Once the injection is administered, pressure is then applied over the target veins to stop blood from returning once you stand up. To help this process, you may be required to wear compression socks to maintain enough pressure.
Why Sclerotherapy is Performed
Sclerotherapy is typically used to treat the following:
- Large-sized varicose veins, if minimally invasive methods are used
- Small-sized varicose veins that return even after getting vein-stripping surgery
- Spider veins and smaller-sized veins that typically aren’t causing any serious issues
- Sclerotherapy can be performed alone or in combination with another surgery.
However, Sclerotherapy should be avoided if you:
- Are allergic to the chemicals used for Sclerotherapy injection
- Have inflammation occurring in the deeper veins in your leg (deep vein thrombosis)
- Have any blood clots
- Are pregnant or nursing
Post Treatment
In most cases, Sclerotherapy doesn’t require any real recovery period. Most people can immediately walk following treatment. However, most doctors recommend taking it easy for a few days. Although it’s not advised to just lay around in bed, you do need to avoid any strenuous activity or exercise following Sclerotherapy treatment for a few days. Also, avoid any exposure to the sun for the initial two weeks following treatment. Expect to wear compression stockings following Sclerotherapy for a short time.
How Well Does Sclerotherapy Work?
Sclerotherapy can decrease symptoms while improving the overall look of your skin. Sclerotherapy has a general success rate of around 80 percent and doesn’t work for whatever reasons for about 20 out of every 100 individuals who get the treatment. Also, Sclerotherapy is a less expensive option than surgery that does not require a hospital stay, which allows for a much faster return to work.
If you’re thinking about getting Sclerotherapy for your varicose veins, our medical team at Institute of Aesthetic Surgery can help. We’ll work with you to create a treatment plan that is tailored to your needs. Contact Institute of Aesthetic Surgery today to schedule your consultation.