Sclerotherapy
What is "sclerotherapy"?
Sclerotherapy is the medical term for injection or removal of unsightly veins. Those are the small blood vessels, predominantly in the leg area, but it also will refer to the sclerotherapy of the face and of the arms. Primarily, though, in the legs.
What are "spider veins"?
Spider veins are a collection of tiny veins or capillaries that look like a spider, that collect usually in the lower leg area. They are very tiny, and those are the areas that are treated with either injections or lasers.
Will sclerotherapy help my spider veins?
Sclerotherapy is the gold standard for spider veins. And by injecting into the veins, what happens during sclerotherapy is that the veins are clotted, destroyed, and eventually disappear. So yes, sclerotherapy will help your spider veins.
Who can get spider veins?
Almost everybody can get spider veins. In terms of the leg area, its more common in women and in pregnant women, often due to hormonal influences. Both men and women get spider veins in the face area. getting spider veins has nothing to do with alcoholic intake, however.
Who can administer sclerotherapy treatments?
Sclerotherapy threatments by injection should be treated by a physician, specifically a plastic surgeon or dermatologist who feels comfortable with injecting into the tiny veins. This is not a procedure that should be done by a technician or by an esthetician. If in fact, a laser is going to be used, then the doctor should also be administering it. In general, sclerotherapy should be done by the doctor.
What are the risks associated with sclerotherapy treatments?
There are three major risks associated with sclerotherapy by injection. The first risk is not injecting in the vein and injecting outside of the vein and there being no effect, no treatment at all. The second complication is injecting too superficially, injecting above the vein, and you can have some skin or tissue necrosis, localized loss of skin in that area. This usually heals fine, though. The third complication is when you do inject sometimes you can get hyperpigmentation or darkening of that area surrounding the spider veins. In general, when the injection is performed the legs usually look worse for about two weeks and then start to look better.
Who should not receive sclerotherapy?
I believe that anybody on blood thinners or anticoagulants should not have sclerotherapy by injection because this will lead to increased bruising and swelling in the area. If in fact there are other causes for the spider veins such as deeper venous issues, varicose veins, then I think it's important that this is a procedure that's done by a vascular surgeon, not a procedure performed in a medical spa.
Will all my spider veins be removed in one sclerotherapy session?
Most patients require either two or three sessions for a full treatment of sclerotherapy. Many times, when you inject one area where the spider veins are, you may find another area that may pop up after the initial injections. Therefore, it's important that you follow up with your doctor and it may require two or three treatments really to treat all of those areas. I would not expect everything to be treated during the first session of sclerotherapy.
How long does a sclerotherapy treatment take?
Sclerotherapy treatment of both legs should take approximately thirty to forty-five minutes to treat all of those areas. Again, a lot of it depends on the areas involved and how many spider veins we're talking about. It shouldn't take more that about a half an hour.
Will a sclerotherapy treatment remove my spider veins permanently?
There are certain spider veins that will be removed permanently, but there is no guarantee that other veins or other areas may not pop up. In general, treating most of the areas is an excellent idea, and you should be able to get rid of about eighty or ninety percent of those areas. It's very common to have patients come back within a year or two years for other areas that need to be treated.
What is the pre-treatment procedure for sclerotherapy?
It's important that you make an appointment with your doctor prior to sclerotherapy treatments, either in his office or the medi-spa. Only a doctor can determine whether or not you are a good candidate for sclerotherapy. Your doctor will also check to make sure that you're not on any medications that may interact with the sclerotherapy. They may also recommend that you get support stockings or support hose before the procedure.
What is the post treatment procedure for sclerotherapy?
Compression. After the viens are injected with the material, it's important that the veins are compressed. That means wearing support stockings, support hose, head stockings. You can wear thick stockings that you get at the department store or in any surgical supply store. However, you need to wear those all that time. It's the compression that is really going to make sclerotherapy effective.
How much will a sclerotherapy treatment cost?
Sclerotherapy treatments should run you anywhere from about $500 up to $2,000. Your medi-spa or doctor will determine exactly how many treatments you need, probably requiring at least one, probably two or three treatments to really get an effective treatment.
