That small web of discolored veins in your legs indicates more than a cosmetic issue. Spider veins are a sign of faulty valves in the veins of your legs that allow blood to collect. Over time, the added pressure causes vein walls to weaken and give way to the characteristic appearance of web-like veins close to your skin’s surface.
Fortunately, you have options to remove bad veins and improve your vascular health in the process. At Premier Vein and Vascular Institute, we diagnose and treat a full spectrum of conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels, including spider veins, which are smaller versions of varicose veins.
Healthy blood vessels nourish the body and are vital to good health. Sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive procedure that eliminates unsightly spider veins. Here, we explain more about this treatment to help you determine if it’s right for you.
What is sclerotherapy?
Sclerotherapy targets spider veins. The procedure involves injecting a medical solution — called a sclerosant — into faulty veins, which causes the targeted veins to collapse and shrink. Your body then reroutes blood to healthy veins and over time absorbs the treated vein tissue. It’s a safe and effective approach to treating spider veins.
What is the procedure like?
Sclerotherapy is an outpatient procedure that typically takes less than an hour. While you lie back comfortably, your provider locates the target veins and injects the sclerosant using a very fine needle. The process is repeated until each spider vein is treated.
Patients tolerate the procedure well; most experience minimal discomfort. After the injections are complete, we dress the area and wrap it to provide protection and minimize bruising. Some bruising is normal, and you may notice redness at the injection site. Any marks or raised areas should resolve within a few weeks as your body heals.
After your sclerotherapy procedure, you can return to your regular activities without any restrictions. The wrap needs to stay on for about 24 hours, but you can get right back to your regular life in the meantime.
You can expect to see results in about 3-6 weeks. The damaged veins fade and disappear over this time, leaving you with smooth, varicose vein-free legs.
Who can benefit from sclerotherapy?
Sclerotherapy is an ideal option if you prefer a nonsurgical spider vein treatment, you’re not bothered by injections, and you have smaller varicose veins. Sclerotherapy can also treat visible veins on your face and hands.
Large varicose veins do not respond as well to sclerotherapy. If you have larger varicose veins, we can discuss ablation treatment options, such as:
- Endovascular laser ablation
- Radiofrequency laser ablation
- VenaSeal™ Closure System
Each of these treatments uses a different approach to closing off bad veins. The treatment that’s right for you depends on the number and size of your varicose or spider veins. We can combine treatments if you have large and small varicose veins.
If you have symptoms such as leg swelling, or leg pain, we may discuss lifestyle changes and compression therapy to improve these symptoms.
Get rid of spider veins
You don’t have to live with unsightly spider veins. The skilled providers at Premier Vein and Vascular offer fast, long-lasting varicose and spider vein solutions. To learn more, give us a call or use our online request tool to schedule your initial consultation. We have offices in Tampa and Largo, Florida.
