What is Sclerotherapy?
Sclerotherapy treatment is fairly simple: The skin around the spider veins is cleaned with an antiseptic solution. Then the doctor pulls the skin tight around the spider vein area while injecting a saline solution into the vein. High concentration of saline is an osmotic agent which causes the vessels to collapse.  This stops the blood flow within the veins. The collapsed vein wall seals itself and the vein is absorbed back into the surrounding tissue.
Sclerotherapy requires no anesthesia; pain is minimal due to the thin needle used and the mild sclerosing solution. The procedure takes fifteen minutes to an hour or more, depending on the number and size of the spider veins being treated. Anywhere from five to forty injections are given per treatment session, and it may take two to four sessions to rid the area of spider veins—especially for patients with more extensive spider vein conditions.

Will Sclerotherapy work on my veins?
The majority of persons who have completed their treatment with sclerotherapy alone or in combination with surgery will see good to excellent improvement in their vein problems. Unfortunately, however, there is no guarantee that sclerotherapy will be effective in every case. Approximately 10 percent of patients who undergo sclerotherapy have results that range from poor to fair with no vein disappearance after a few treatments.

What should I expect after treatment?
Following the injections, the treated area is wrapped in a compressed bandage or stocking. The bandage can be removed after five days. There may be slight itching for a day or two after the treatment owing to a mild release of histamine from the treated blood vessels.

How many treatments will I need?
The number of treatments needed to clear or improve the condition differs from patient to patient, depending on the extent of varicose and spider veins present. One to six treatments may be needed; the average is two to four.