Sclerotherapy is one of the best treatments available for spider veins and varicose veins. These are the blue, purple and red veins found mostly in your legs, but can also be in other parts of your body. Sclerotherapy injects a solution into your problem veins, which then causes it to irritate the blood vessel and it retreats and fades from view. Sclerotherapy has been an effective treatment since it was first utilized in the 1930s.

THE SCLEROTHERAPY PROCEDURE

Sclerotherapy is a routine procedure that only takes about an hour or less and is performed as an outpatient procedure. Your Davie physician will perform the treatment in his or her office. The area is cleansed and a small needle is used to place the solution right into the veins being treated. The amount of time it takes depends on how many veins you are getting treated. If you are sensitive to needles, you can get a skin numbing agent applied first, though the needles are very thin and most patients report no issues.

CANDIDATES FOR SCLEROTHERAPY

You will first need to get a consultation for sclerotherapy before going through the procedure. Your doctor in Davie will want to find out if you are a good candidate for the procedure. In order to quality for sclerotherapy, you cannot be pregnant, breastfeeding, or have any serious medical conditions. If you have a history of blood clotting issues, your doctor will determine whether or not you are a candidate for sclerotherapy. If you are pregnant, you need to wait about three months after delivery for the treatment.

SCLEROTHERAPY SUCCESS RATES

It is possible that for the best results, you need to have repeat treatments. Typically, about 50-80 percent of varicose veins disappear after the very first session. Others might be larger and need to have the treatment multiple times. This is rare, with less than 10 percent of them not getting treated properly by sclerotherapy. If this happens, you can get laser therapy to remove the spider or varicose veins. You will notice the full effects of treatment within four weeks.

POSSIBLE SCLEROTHERAPY SIDE EFFECTS

There are minimal side effects that don’t last too long after treatment. You might have some redness or bruising around the injection site, and before disappearing, the veins might look lumpy for a few weeks. There is also the possibility of being allergic to the solution.