Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy is the most common treatment for both spider veins and varicose veins.

The doctor injects a solution into the vein that causes the vein walls to swell, stick together, and seal shut. This stops the flow of blood and the vein turns into scar tissue. In a few weeks the vein should fade. The same vein may need to be treated more than once. Sclerotherapy does not require anesthesia and can be done in the doctor's office. The needles used are very small and feel like a mosquito bite. Most people find this relatively painless. Possible side effects include inflammation of the treated vein or the development of lumps of clotted blood. Lumps of coagulated blood can be drained. Sclerotherapy treatment sessions usually last 25-30 minutes. Every patient is different and the number of sessions needed varies depending on the severity of your condition. Most cases require 2-4 treatments. However, this is only a guideline and your individual case may be different. Your legs may begin to show improvement in as little as a few weeks, but the best results are usually seen after several treatment sessions. After healing has occurred, spider vein “road maps” and bulging varicose veins will be gone, leaving you with healthy, beautiful legs.