Spider Vein Schlerotherapy

Spider veins, or teleangiectasia, are very small thread-like varicose veins that may appear red or blue or both. They most commonly occur on the legs, but may occur on other spots like the cheek and nose.

These small dilated veins can occur in locations and ways where they are not very noticeable, or they may be very concentrated, closer to the surface and quite unsightly. In addition, they can be responsible for burning sensation, aching, and heavy feelings in the legs. As these veins become larger, they are called varicose veins that can become very large and raise above the skin surface.

If these veins are unsightly or uncomfortable, the smallest thread-like spider veins respond quite well to laser sclerotherapy, while the slightly larger spider veins respond best to injection sclerotherapy.

Areas Treated

• Thigh
• Lower Extremity calf and ankle areas
• Face
• Nose

Best Candidates

• Women of any age may be good candidates for sclerotherapy, but most fall into the 30-60 year age range.
• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it is advisable to postpone treatment. In many cases, spider veins/varicose veins that show up during pregnancy will go away after delivery.

The Procedure

• A decision as to whether to use laser sclerotherapy or injection sclerotherapy or a combination of the two will be made after consultation with the physician. In general, the smallest thread-like veins respond best to laser, while the slightly larger to intermediate size veins respond best to injection sclerotherapy.
• Injection Sclerotherapy is a technique that uses a very small needle to inject a medication directly into the small veins. This medicine causes the vessel’s blood to flush out. This causes the vessel wall to become irritated, thicken, and then close down completely. Without blood flowing through the vein, it becomes invisible. However, to get to the invisible point, the blood in the vein first has to clot off and then the body reabsorbs the blood. This process occurs over a period of weeks. If the veins are of the slightly bigger variety, the patient may be required to wear support hose for the first week after treatment.
• Laser Sclerotherapy is generally preferred on the smallest thread-like spider veins. This technique may be used in conjunction with the injection technique, doing the larger veins first and then the smaller spider veins with the laser.

The Results

• The process of getting spider veins to go away is truly a process. At the time of the treatment, either injection or laser, the blood is initially flushed out and the vein is invisible; however, very quickly this is replaced with redness and the normal inflammatory process. It then turns to a slightly bruised looking area as the vein closes down and then the body reabsorbs the blood. As that happens, the area becomes less and less visible. In some individuals, they get an increased melanin response and the area gets darker (hyperpigmentation) for awhile, in others, they get lighter (hypopigmentation). In the vast majority of people, all this clears and the result is the loss of the unsightly veins. This process can take from as little as a few weeks to as much as 6 months.

Treat Series and Interval

• Each treatment session will take approximately 30 minutes
• The number of treatments required to eliminate the worrisome spider veins will obviously depend on the number of veins one has to treat. However, in general 1-3 treatments about 3 weeks apart of take care of all unsightly spider veins.

Recovery Period

• The procedure causes little if any pain either during the procedure or afterward. Some may experience slight burning for a few hours after the injection.
• The patient should avoid strenuous activity for 6 hours after the injections. If the injections are done on larger varicose veins, the patient will be asked to wear support hose for several weeks.
• The patient should avoid sun exposure for 2 days before the injections and for 2 weeks after the injections to reduce the risk of post-procedure hyperpigmentation.

RISKS

• As with any procedure that involves placing a needle through the skin, there is a risk of bleeding, bruising, infection, and reaction to the medicine being injected. Though these risks are very slight, they do exist.