Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy is a treatment for both spider veins and average-sized varicose veins. This treatment uses a chemical that is injected into the troublesome veins to cause the blood to coagulate, inflammation to set in, and the vein to eventually collapse so that the blood supply is rerouted to healthier veins. At New Genesis we perform foam sclerotherapy which suspends the chemical in foam to provide greater adhesion to the vein walls and is more effective than traditional sclerotherapy.

Sclerotherapy sessions are a “timed treatment”, each treatment last up to 20 minutes depending on how many veins there are to be treated. After the procedure, it is important to wear compression stockings for 7 days which applies pressure to the legs causing the veins to collapse in on themselves and stick together. Once treated with sclerotherapy, spider and varicose veins do not come back but over years, new veins may develop. Sclerotherapy is done on an outpatient basis and is only mildly painful. Other than the sting of the injection, some patients report some light cramping during the injection of the solution, but this quickly passes. Although all procedures have some risks, sclerotherapy has very few. They include allergic reaction, light bruising to the treatment area and some patients have reported that freckling or transient staining developed temporarily in the treatment area, but these both usually disappear within weeks to months.

With sclerotherapy, some patients may require several injection sessions for optimal results that are scheduled about a month apart. When someone has a lot of veins they can require up to 6-8 treatments. After finishing the treatment, the pain and unsightly appearance of the damaged veins are greatly improved. Patients report significantly smoother skin and little discoloration. Because these results are achieved without hospitalization or general anesthesia, sclerotherapy is a better choice than surgery for many patients. Patients also find recovery time is much shorter with sclerotherapy, and they are usually able to return to work the next day.

Important Points:

• Because this is a timed treatment it is very important that you arrive 15 minutes early on your first appointment to fill out paperwork and a few minutes early on each subsequent treatment to change and get ready for the treatment. We want to give each patient at New Genesis the whole 20 minutes of treatment time, if you are late for your appointment you will lose treatment time.
• Although rare, it is possible to have a severe allergic reaction to this medication called an anaphylactic reaction. Therefore the first two times you receive this medication you will be expected to spend 30 minutes after the treatment in our office in the event you have an allergic reaction. We have medications to treat an allergic reaction should one occur.
• You should bring shorts to your visit to change into that allow the provider to see as much of your leg as you want treated. You will need to get compression stockings before your treatment and these will be worn for 7 days except when bathing. You can obtain medical grade stockings as an apothecary with a prescription or at online at www.yourlegs.com. The stockings need to be between 30-40 mm of Hg and extend up your full leg if the veins you want treated go are that far up.

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