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If you suffer from varicose spider veins then you probably have heard about sclerotherapy (injection therapy) to reduce or remove those problematic and unsightly veins. Sclerotherapy works where a sclerosing solution is injected into the vein that needs to be treated. This solution will cause the spider or varicose veins to collapse and stick together. Over time the veins will eventually shrink to the point that they look reduced or are totally removed from the skin.

How Effective is Sclerotherapy at Removing Varicose Veins?

People who go in to have the sclerotherapy procedure done often want to know how effective it is at removing spider and varicose veins. According to statistics that is available, around 50-80% of the veins that are treated with the sclerosing agent eventually disappear or have a reduced look over time. There is only a small percentage (10%), which shows no reaction to the treatment. This percentage is extremely good and people who have problems with there being should definitely consider this treatment.

What Goes Into the Sclerotherapy Treatment?

The sclerotherapy treatments are really quick and not extremely painful. The entire treatment can take anywhere from 45 mins – 1 hour in a doctor’s office. The beauty of this treatment is the fact that there is a short recovery period.

There is very little pain when getting sclerotherapy injections. People often describe it as needle pricks and there negligible pain after the procedure has been done. Usually there will be some burning, itching bruising and redness in the treated area. This pain can be described as mild and it won’t keep you home for days.

Generally also the people who go and have sclerotherapy done are often satisfied with the results of their treatment. Some people will need to go back for multiple treatments if they want to totally get rid of the problem veins.

It should be noted that sclerotherapy does not guarantee that there will be no spider or varicose veins in the future. It however has the ability to lighten or full get rid of those that are currently there. It will take a few weeks to see the desired results, but when that does occur, then the individual who has the treatment will be able to step out in style and confidence.

If you have made the decision to have the sclerotherapy treatment, then there are certain things that should be done before you go in. These activities should be avoided before sclerotherapy as it could have an adverse effect on the treatment and could possibly cause unwanted side effects to occur.

1.       Medications Should be Avoided Leading up to the Sclerotherapy Treatment – Your doctor should be made aware of the different medications that you are taking if you plan on having sclerotherapy done. This should be told to him during the initial consultation. If you are taking antibiotic medications, then he should know. The same could be said about the powerful antibiotics Minocin and Tetracycline. These may cause the skin to stain if taken 7-10 days before or after the sclerotherapy procedure.

2.       Do Not Take Prednisone – This will have the ability to reduce the effectiveness of the sclerosing agent that is used. If you are taking it, consult with your doctor to find out about discontinuing its use for 48 hours before sclerotherapy is done.

3.       Do Not Take Ibuprofen (Nuprin), Aspirin (Advil) – These medications should be avoided as well as other anti-inflammatory drugs. This should be done 48 hours before and after the treatment. The reason behind this is that there is a good possibility that these products may interact with the sclerosing agent. Tylenol can be used however. You should consult with your doctor about what is safe and what is not.

4.       You Should Not Lotion the Skin – Lotion should not be applied to the skin before and after sclerotherapy treatment.

5.       Use Compression Hosiery – If you have done sclerotherapy before and have compression hosiery lying around, then you should bring them so they can be applied once the treatment has been finished.