Rarely now must patients endure hospitalization, undergo general anesthesia, experience considerable pain or miss extended time from work or play because of surgery for varicose veins. I've been told nothing can be done for them. When patients come in for their initial consultation, they are advised on the best type of treatments for their own particular problem. Sclerotherapy has been done for over 30 years and is well established as a safe and effective method for treating varicose veins and spiders. During a sclerotherapy treatment session, a physician trained to perform the procedure carefully injects a small amount of a special solution into the problem veins causing them to close and gradually disappear.
Tiny needles are used for sclerotherapy so discomfort is usually minimal.
Occasionally there is a small amount of discomfort from the injected sclerosing agent which quickly dissipates. Over time, this abnormal leakage of blood, also called reflux causes veins visible on the skin surface to dilate and turn into diseased veins we call varicose veins and spiders. In order for sclerotherapy to be successful, the source of this venous reflux must be both identified by the treating doctor and injected or treated with sclerosing solution so the varicose vein caused by this leakage will disappear. Often the source of reflux causing varicose veins and even spiders is much deeper than can be reached by injecting from the skin surface, and since conventional sclerotherapy is done right on the surface of the skin, regular sclerotherapy will not be effective in treating veins caused by such a source of reflux. Now enter ultrasound guided sclerotherapy .