One procedure that is becoming very popular to reduce the aged look of hands is sclerotherapy. As the skin becomes thinner and there is a reduction in muscle tissues and fat deposits, veins in the hands and arms can appear enlarged. If those claims are injected with a sclerosant such as hypertonic saline, then it will irritate the lining of the vein. This will lead to scarring and eventually the vein will fade over time. This will result in the person having younger and smoother looking hands.
Doctors who do this type of vein therapy, insist that using sclerotherapy on the hand has several advantages over the more popular fat grafting cosmetic treatment, which focus on restoring soft tissues and fills the grooves between the bones in the backs of the hands.
Sclerotherapy done on the hand is the only cosmetic treatment that gives such good results in such a quick space of time.
Doctors have used sclerotherapy since the 1920s to treat varicose and spider veins. The first sclerosant, hypertonic saline, remains the choice of doctors today. There are other FDA-approved sclerosants that include sodium tetradecyl sulfate (Sotradecol), which many doctors use in addition to hypertonic saline.
The American College of Phlebotomy (ACP) classifies sodium tetradecyl sulfate as a detergent sclerosant, which destroys the vein How it works is that the detergent molecules come together to form a sheet that bothers the cell membrane surface and takes away certain proteins that will cause a cell death that is delayed.
There are potential complications associated with hand sclerotherapy. These are rare, but they include ulceration of the injection site, allergic reaction to the sclerosant (not applicable with hypertonic saline), tissue necrosis caused by injecting outside the vein, and propagation of thrombi.
Thrombi that form near the injection site, is very common in this procedure and will dissolve on their own. Hyperpigmentation is a common side effect that usually comes based on leg sclerotherapy. It does not happen on the hands as the venous system in the arms and hands has a low pressure, while the legs have a high pressure.
Healing times for sclerotherapy may vary. Doctor’s state that around 5% of patients will experience bruising and 20% will experience short-term swelling.
Patients can expect to have on average around three visits to have sclerotherapy done. In addition to the first treatment, some patients may require more injections to the same vein. They may also need to remove some veins and treat thrombi. Some veins may require as many as two to four treatments before results are seen.