Procedures - Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy is a procedure in which a chemical solution is injected into veins to cause them to collapse and form scar tissue that permanently closes them. Nearby veins take up re-routed blood flow. Sclerotherapy requires multiple treatments to close off all affected veins. Additional treatments may be needed from time to time as new enlarged veins appear. Side effects of sclerotherapy may include slight swelling, bruising, and redness and itching at injection sites.

The procedure may also remedy the bothersome symptoms associated with spider veins, including aching, burning, swelling and night cramps.

Sclerotherapy works well for most patients. After several treatments, most patients can expect an 80 - 90 percent improvement. Fading will gradually occur over months. Disappearance of treated spider veins is usually achieved, but similar veins may appear in the same general area.

It is estimated that as many as 50 percent to 80 percent of injected veins may be eliminated with each injection session. A few (less than 10 percent) of the people who have sclerotherapy do not respond to the injections at all. In these instances, different solutions or a different method, such as laser therapy, may be tried.

There are four categories of veins which are of interest in an examination by a sclerotherapist:

• Deep veins

• Superficial veins

• Perforator veins

• Spider veins

The deep veins are buried beneath skin, muscle, and bone and cannot be seen except during surgery. The superficial veins are the ones you can see just under the skin. The perforator veins connect the two systems. Reticular veins are incompetent superficial veins. Varicose veins are superficial veins which are not only incompetent, but are swollen, elongated (and thus serpentine) as a result. The most fundamental problems must be fixed first and these are, in order: incompetent deep veins, incompetent perforator veins, incompetent superficial veins (reticular and varicose veins), and finally the spider veins.

In general, spider veins respond to treatment in 3 to 6 weeks, and larger veins respond in 3 to 4 months. If the veins respond to the treatment, they will not reappear. However, new veins may appear over time. If needed, you may return for injections.