Sclerotherapy Before & After

Sclerotherapy is the injection of veins with solutions that cause the selective destruction and absorption of abnormal veins. Sclerotherapy is considered the gold standard of treatment for abnormal smaller leg veins such as telangiectasias (spider veins) and reticular veins (non-bulging blue-green veins). In selective cases, sclerotherapy is an appropriate treatment for visible, unwanted, or abnormal veins of the chest and back of the hands.

Dr. Palm at Art of Skin MD is a vein expert and has published medical literature and lectured at national meetings on sclerotherapy including the proper technique for the treatment of abnormal or unwanted leg veins. Sclerotherapy is performed in the office setting with minimal to no discomfort. Modern sclerosing agents (solutions injected into leg veins during sclerotherapy) are much more comfortable and effective than the old days of injecting hypertonic saline solution. Dr. Palm uses FDA-approved solutions for sclerotherapy injection including polidocanol (Asclera) and sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS or Sotradecol). She also uses glycerin for small spider veins, as the rate of side effects is exceeding small with this solution.

According to the medical literature, sclerotherapy is performed as a series of treatments. Although classically 4-6 sessions are required to achieve approximately 80-85% clearance of leg veins, Dr. Palm most commonly achieves high patient satisfaction after 2-4 sessions of sclerotherapy. Periodic maintenance may be necessary as highly effective sclerotherapy treatment of spider veins does not remove the genetic propensity to develop some new broken blood vessels over time. At Art of Skin MD, the use of compression stockings for 1 week after treatment is highly encouraged to improve the effectiveness of treatment and reduce the incidence of side effects.