An Option for Varicose Veins

The appearance and health of your legs greatly impact your confidence and ability to carry out your daily routine. When your legs are plagued with spider and varicose veins, you may not be eager to wear clothing like shorts or skirts. You also may experience symptoms that make regular activities like walking and climbing stairs uncomfortable.

What is Sclerotherapy?

Sclerotherapy is a procedure that is designed to treat varicose and spider veins. It is performed as an outpatient procedure. It is minimally invasive and relatively painless.

Sclerotherapy is primarily performed for cosmetic reasons, that is to ease the appearance of spider and varicose veins. However, it can also be performed for therapeutic or medicinal reasons to relieve varicose and spider vein symptoms like:

• Aching
• Burning
• Swelling
• Leg cramps

Most sclerotherapy procedures take less than an hour to complete. The number of veins treated, however, will depend on their location as well as the patient’s overall health.

How it’s Done

Sclerotherapy performed on varicose or spider veins in the legs requires you to stand up during the entire procedure. You will be given a local or topical anesthetic to eliminate any sensation you may feel during the treatment. Your blood pressure, breathing, and other health statistics will also be monitored during sclerotherapy.

Your doctor will inject a solution directly into the blood vessels in your legs. The solution causes irritation in the vessels, which in turn causes them to collapse and eventually disappear.

After the procedure is finished, you will remain under observation for 30 to 45 minutes before being allowed to go home to recuperate. It can take up to a week for the appearance of the varicose or spider veins to be eliminated permanently.

Recovery from Sclerotherapy

When you go home to recuperate from sclerotherapy, you may be advised to wear surgical or compression stockings to prevent the formation of blood clots in your legs. Your doctor may also advise you to get up and walk several times a day to prevent blood clots from forming.

You also will be told to avoid activities like heavy lifting and straining. They can cause complications like bleeding and pain in your legs.

Your doctor will likewise tell you to avoid smoking and drinking alcohol during the first two to three weeks after sclerotherapy. Both of these habits can cause complications like clots and thinning of your blood.