Not in Vain

By: Carol Laskey
Created on 28th November 2011

If you are really serious about eliminating thread veins, sclerotherapy is the preferred treatment option offered by Registered Nurse Carol Laskey of The Laser Clinic. Here she explains why

Thread veins are tiny veins that appear most commonly on the cheeks, nose and legs. Small thread veins are red, but larger ones look purplish. They have many names, including spider veins, broken veins (an inaccurate name, because they are not actually broken) and capillary veins.

Normally, the tiny veins in the skin are invisible, but in some people they expand and show through the surface. This can be caused by overexposure to the sun, pregnancy, oestrogen treatment, genetic predisposition, rosacea or overuse of steroid creams.

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix to get rid of this problem. However, sclerotherapy is a safe and well established treatment for thread veins on the legs. Although there are a number of alternative treatments, including laser treatment, it remains the most reliably successful of them all.

Sclerotherapy is a highly specialised treatment which involves the nurse injecting a solution with a very tiny needle, very superficially into the veins, causing the lining of the vein to swell and become sticky. Compression is then applied to close the veins. Over a period of time the vein will heal closed and fade away. 

In our practice we make every effort to minimise any risks of complication and wearing the compression hosiery we prescribe plays an important part in this. Here, I’ve answered some of the common questions we get asked about sclerotherapy:

Is sclerotherapy permanent?

Sclerotherapy is a permanent solution for the areas treated, but it does not prevent new problem areas from appearing. Most patients are pleased with the difference that sclerotherapy makes, usually seeing an overall improvement of 80 to 90 per cent following treatment.

It is important to realise however that this treatment does not prevent new veins from emerging in the future and, as time passes by, it may be necessary for touch-up treatments when new leg veins appear.

Sclerotherapy is performed by our skilled medical practitioners, which involves injecting a solution into the vein using a micro-needle, thereby causing the vein to collapse and fade from view.

It is a virtually painless treatment which has been shown to be the most successful treatment available today for these tiny blood vessels.

How does the treatment work?

A dilute irritant solution is injected into the vein using a very fine needle. This damages the vessel lining causing it to close off.

The body treats this as damaged tissue which is slowly absorbed over about three months. Sometimes all the thread veins disappear.

How successful is sclerotherapy?

The injections are almost painless and all the thread veins can usually be treated in one half-hour session.

They look worse to begin with and large vessels may go black, but fading starts after three weeks and it will be three months before the main benefit is seen and improvement continues for a year.For this reason it is a good idea to plan treatment some time before your holiday.

How many treatment sessions are needed?

The number of treatments varies and is dependent upon the patient and the extent of the condition but each session must have a four to six week interval and we often recommend a 12 week interval for some patients.

This and other aspects of the treatment will be discussed in more detail at the pre-treatment consultation.

In conclusion

The appearance of thread veins can have a debilitating impact on a woman’s self-confidence, particularly during the summer months when we all wish to bare our legs in pretty dresses or hit the beach in our bikinis. Sclerotherapy could be the answer.

Not for everyone

During consultation, if a patient answers yes to any of the following questions then unfortunately it is not possible to treat them with sclerotherapy as these conditions contraindicate treatment:

● Have you ever had a DVT?

● Are you doing a long distance journey or long haul flight within the next two to four weeks?

● Are you pregnant or breast feeding?

Do you suffer from any clotting disorders or take oral anti-coagulants?

● Do you suffer from cellulitis?

● Do you suffer from diabetes (insulin dependent)?