Spider Vein Treatment by Sclerotherapy

What Are Spider Veins?
Spider and varicose veins are superficial veins that have been damaged so that they no longer can pass blood effectively. The blood pools in these veins and may look red, blue, or purple in color. These unsightly veins may appear as a result of a number of factors, including pregnancy, being on your feet for long periods of time, weight gain, or simply genetics.

How Are Spider Veins & Varicose Veins Treated?
At Veins Without Surgery, we treat all small veins from 0.5 to 4 mm in diameter with an Nd:YAG laser and Sclerotherapy. When a laser is used for your spider vein treatment, results are seen gradually, with additional treatments possibly recommended for effectiveness and maintenance. During the procedure, the laser is directed at the area of the vein, penetrating the skin.

As the laser light is absorbed beneath the skin, it is converted to heat, raising the temperature of the blood vessel, and then safely coagulating the blood. This causes the vessel to seal, and eventually the body removes the damaged vein. The process may take anywhere from one to four months for complete or nearly complete clearance to occur.

Sclerotherapy
This simple, office-based procedure is the perfect solution to varicose and spider vein treatments. During Sclerotherapy, a FDA-approved sclerosing solution is injected into the vein by a fine needle. The injected vein will blanch and eventually disappear. Multiple injections are needed and sometimes Sclerotherapy is used along with laser treatments for best results.

After Sclerotherapy, you are required to elevate your legs for two to four hours. This prevents blood from entering the treated vein, allowing it to stay closed. Pigmentation and bruising in the treated area can appear, but usually disappears in a few days to weeks. Very rarely, Sclerotherapy may cause deep vein thrombosis or blood clots.