Sclerotherapy

Who does it?
● Plastic Surgeon
● Cosmetic Doctor

What is Sclerotherapy?
Sclerotherapy is a treatment to treat varicose, thread and spider veins by injecting a solution or foam into the vein to make it collapse and be reabsorbed by the body.

The procedure has been used for over 150 years, although techniques have developed in that time.

These days it is still a fairly common treatment for all forms of vascular problems, although some vein specialists prefer to use more modern, energy based techniques (see Vein Treatments – Energy Assisted) to deal with more troublesome veins.

Who is suitable for sclerotherapy?
You would need to have a consultation with a cosmetic doctor or vascular surgeon to ascertain whether sclerotherapy is right for you.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you will be asked to postpone treatment until your baby is weaned, and you will be advised against the procedure if you are taking certain medications, such as anti-coagulants.

If you do decide to go ahead, you will be advised to avoid taking aspirin, vitamin E and aloe vera for about a fortnight pre treatment.

What’s Sclerotherapy like?
The vein is injected with a very fine needle and a dilute-irritant solution, or ‘sclerosing liquid’ is administered to cause the vein to close off and prevent any further blood from flowing to it.

The body’s immune system then gets to work, as this dead vein is now seen as damaged tissue, so it will be slowly reabsorbed.

The treatment is almost entirely painless, although you might feel a slight tingling sensation as the solution is injected.

Foam sclerotherapy is almost exactly the same, except that the sclerosing liquid is mixed with air, into a foam-like substance. This pushes any blood out of the veins, reducing the risk of any blood clots.

What happens after Sclerotherapy?
Normal activities can be resumed immediately, but you will need to wait a week or so before doing any vigorous exercise and you will need to wear support stockings for the first few days, so you can’t show off your vein-free legs straightaway.

Don’t be worried if the veins look worse to start with – the larger vessels might even go black – as you should see an almost total improvement after about three months.

Be warned, though, although those particular veins won’t come back, they may be caused by an underlying vascular problem which might mean you will get more of them in future.

Will I have a scar?
There is no risk of scarring from sclerotherapy. Side effects, though rare, include a brown discolouration of the skin around the vein, but foam sclerotherapy can help to avoid this.