Sclerotherapy 

Summer may seem far away but it’s always nice to have beautiful, flawless legs all year long and not have to dread wearing shorts and skirts when the warmer weather is here.

Do your legs make you feel self-conscious? Are you looking for a safe and efficient way to remove spider veins?

What is Sclerotherapy?

Put simply, sclerotherapy is a procedure used to treat blood vessels or blood vessel malformations (vascular malformations) and also those of the lymphatic system, commonly called varicose or spider veins.

Sclerotherapy is a non-invasive procedure taking only about 10 minutes to perform. The downtime is minimal in comparison to an invasive varicose vein surgery.  Sclerotherapy is a procedure making use of a body process called sclerosis. In this case, the sclerosis is caused by the injection of an agent that clogs the troublesome vein. Once the vein becomes blocked, it is absorbed by the body and your unsightly varicose vein or spider vein is gone.

What are “Spider” veins?

“Spider” veins, known medically as telangiectasia, are excessively dilated small blood vessels in the skin.

No one knows exactly what causes spider veins, but mechanical trauma (including crossing your legs), leg injuries, tight fitting clothes, obesity, long periods of standing or sitting as well as pregnancy, family history and hormones all seem to play a role.

Did you know?! The spider veins range in colour from red to blue depending on the size of the blood vessels (red=smallest; purple=medium; blue=largest).

How is Scleortherapy Performed?

The micro-injection sclerotherapy technique consists of instilling a concentrated chemical solution into these tiny blood vessels using needles so small that a magnifying glass is required.

This solution irritates the inner lining of the blood vessels so that they stop carrying blood and the body slowly replaces them with scar tissue that is invisible on the surface of the skin.
What is sclerosing agent?
The injectable solution attacks the inside of the vein, causing a permanent collapse and it is this collapse that leads the body to reabsorb the vein. The treatment works on both large and small spider and varicose veins.

How Soon Will I See Results?

The veins will disappear immediately after the sclerotherapy and you will be left varicose vein free. When treating larger veins you might be required to wear a compression garment for a few days to assist in the aesthetic result.

Veins that are potentially usable for future heart bypass surgery will generally not be considered for sclerotherapy, unless they are already deemed unusable. This is because sclerotherapy permanently closes the treated vein.

Sclerotherapy is the “gold standard” and is preferred over laser for eliminating large spider veins (telangiectasiae) and smaller varicose leg veins. Sclerotherapy is only second to radio frequency vein ablation when larger veins are being treated. Unlike a laser, the sclerosing solution additionally closes the “feeder veins” under the skin that are causing the spider veins to form, thereby making a recurrence of the spider veins in the treated area less likely.

Are there any side effects?

A common sclerotherapy side effect is bruising which generally resolves over one week. To speed up the healing process, we suggest arnica be applied on a daily basis. You may experience temporary soreness but this will subside within 48 hours.

Patients are also encouraged to walk regularly during the recovery peroid. It is common practice for the patient to require at least two treatment sessions separated by several weeks to significantly improve the appearance of their leg veins.

Sclerotherapy Recovery:
Discomfort is usually minimal. After a treatment, normal activities may be resumed in 2 days.

You should wear a fitted support hose for 7 days after treatment sessions, and sometimes we will apply compression dressings.

After your initial sclerotherapy treatment at Medi-Sculpt, you may need to return for repeat treatments depending on the extent of the treatment areas, as well as your body’s response to sclerotherapy.

Prior to sclerotherapy, you will have an initial consultation with me and we will decide if you’re a good candidate for the procedure.Making sure you have the correct treatment is of paramount importance to the success of your procedure.

There is more information on all the non-surgical treatments we offer on the Medi-Sculpt website and this is the number you can dial to look amazing in no time 0861 003 007

Remember that comments, questions and suggestions are always appreciated, so don’t hesitate to leave a message!