SCLEROTHERAPY FOR VARICOSE VEINS

Written By Lexington Vein Institute

Published On July 23, 2020

If you are looking to eliminate spider veins and varicose veins there is hope. Sclerotherapy is a medical procedure that will help do just that.  It is a minimally invasive procedure that eliminates these unsightly veins with a simple injection. This solution will irritate the inside of the veins, which will cause the vein to collapse. This collapse is what will force the body to absorb the vein and reroute the blood. This is a very simple and safe procedure that has been done since the 1930s. 

In contrast to the old sclerotherapy using concentrated saline solution or acid , this procedure is almost painless. You might experience some itching during the procedure.  The solution is inserted with a very fine needle.    This procedure will last approx. 15-30 minutes.  During the procedure, more than one vein can be injected. There is a limit on how mush medication can be injected safely in one session, Dr Bacha and his staff at the Lexington Vein Institute will always have your safety as the number one goal.

Prior to any treatment we perform a thorough venous system evaluation including doppler ultrasound to determine if there is an underlying venous insufficiency and detemine whether the problem is medical, cosmetic or both.

Things You Should expect From Your Sclerotherapy

Once you have decided that Sclerotherapy is right for you, you should set up an appointment to discuss it further. Your first visit is usually a consultation with Dr. Fadi Bacha and it involve venous system assessment and doppler ultrasound.,

Side effects from having this procedure are usually rare. The most common one is itching and mild bruising which only lasts a few days.  If you have had this done on larger veins, the area may become hardened and you might feels some knot along treated vein. You might find that the site where the vein was becomes darker overtime for sometime after the procedure that is referred to as Hyperpigmentation, those darker spots usually resolve in few weeks, however in certain patients it might takes them longer depending on how active their melanin cells and the amout of iron released from the red blood cells.There may even be some smaller veins that start to appear, don’t worry, this is normal and typically they too will fade with a bit of time. Phlebitis can occur in few cases, Phlebitis is not dangerous but can be uncomfortable, it is usually treated with anti-inflammatory and occasionally short course of antibiotics.

Allergic reaction to the medication can occurs although very uncommon.

Other rare side effect are blood clots or DVT, ulceration at the sire of the injection. Scaring, Venous matting or permanent hyperpigmentation.

After each sclerotherapy session all patients are asked to use thigh high compression stocking for one week and to refrain from heavy lifting for at least one week.

At the Lexington vein Institute, Dr Bacha performed several thousands of sclerotherapy on varieties of spider, reticular and varicose vein large and smalls.

we thrive on addressing our patients need from medical or cosmetic aspects.

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