Sclerotherapy for Varicose and Spider Veins

Spider veins and varicose veins are unsightly. Fortunately, sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive treatment that uses a chemical solution to destroy the walls of the veins. It’s fast and effective at reducing or eliminating both types of vessels in the legs.  This blog post will explain what sclerotherapy is, how it works, who qualifies for treatment—and more!

Annamarie Salyer FNP-C is an anti-aging medical specialist at Bion Aesthetics and Med Spa in Indianapolis, IN offering sclerotherapy for patients near Greenwood, IN, Carmel, IN, and Fishers, IN.

• Varicose veins are swollen and twisted veins. They can be blue, purple or brown in color and usually appear on the legs.
• Spider veins are small, red and flat. They form on the surface of your skin as a result of aging or sun damage to your skin (particularly fair-skinned people).

Spider and varicose veins can cause discomfort as well as cosmetic problems if they are visible through clothing or when you’re wearing shorts or skirts. However, they may also indicate an underlying medical condition that requires treatment by a surgeon who specializes in treating these types of disorders.

Sclerotherapy is a non-invasive and nearly painless procedure. To begin, the nurse practitioner will numb the area around the vein with a local anesthetic (numbing medicine). Next, she will then inject a sclerosant fluid into that area using a needle.

Depending on how many veins you have and how large they are, this might take several sessions over several months or even years before all of them are gone.

Sclerotherapy for varicose and spider veins treatment is a relatively safe procedure, but it does have some side effects. These include:

• Slight bruising and swelling (this is normal)
• Minor discomfort or pain during the treatment
• Redness in the treated area (this should fade over time)
• Temporary numbness in the treated area (this may last for several weeks)
• Temporary discoloration of skin near treated veins (which can be covered with makeup)

Sclerotherapy is a procedure that can be performed on adults with varicose or spider veins. The only criteria are:

• You are not pregnant;
• You are not allergic to sclerosant; and
• You do not have any medical conditions that would make sclerotherapy unsafe for you. This includes being on blood thinners or anticoagulants.

The procedure takes about 15 minutes and you will be asked to lie down for about 15 minutes after the treatment. You can go home shortly after your treatment is complete, but it’s important that you rest and avoid exercise for at least 24 hours.