Sclerotherapy is the treatment of unsightly spider veins. It is not used to treat symptomatic varicose veins associated with pain or swelling.
1. What exactly is a melanoma?
You should expect the disappearance of approximately 60% of the visible spider veins after a treatment.
This varies between patients but the effect of Sclerotherapy holds well for more than a year. Patients often come for a top-up after 1 or 2 years.
Bruising is the most common side effect and can be minimised by avoiding any agents that anti-coagulate (thin) the blood. Pigmentation and residual fine red vessels are also visible after treatment and these are easily managed with laser therapy.
The legs are dressed in a compression bandage or stocking. The legs look bruised for approximately 2 – 4 weeks.
Results are seen after about 4 months of treatment.
Wearing the compression stockings is essential to the success of the treatment and needs to be worn for at least 2 – 3 weeks after treatment. Elevating the legs for 2 days after treatment is also necessary.
Sclerotherapy treats the visible blue and bright red veins. It does not treat large veins. Very fine veins, referred to as thread veins, are better treated at follow-up with a vascular laser.
Patients require between 1-3 treatments. These are done a few months or even a year apart, as the legs continue to improve for months after treatment.
The Sclerosing agent irritates the wall of the vessel making the vessel stick together. This means that the deeper veins are used to transport venous blood and this is as it should be and therefore preferable.
Also read our blog: Sclerotherapy: the reduction of unsightly veins