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| Patient Information on Sclerotherapy for Spider Veins Spider veins, or telangiectasias, are small blue and purple veins in the skin that have a spider web-like appearance. Spider veins are different from varicose veins which are larger veins, located more deeply, that may appear as bumps or lumpy protrusions under the skin, with or without a bluish coloration. One popular method for treating spider veins is by sclerotherapy. Injection therapy has been part of the treatment of spider and varicose veins for more than 50 years. The principle of injection is to fill the vein being treated with a solution that will empty the vein of blood and cause the vein wall to become inflamed. As a result, the walls of the vein will scar together and the vein will be obliterated and no longer be visible. Various chemical substances are utilized in injection treatment of varicose veins. Common among these are sodium tetradecyl sulfate, hypertonic saline, and polidocanol. The needles used for injection are extremely small and cause little pain. The pain, if any, lasts only a few seconds. A pressure dressing or graduated support stocking may be applied to the area following injection so that the veins will remain empty of blood. To adequately treat a spider vein, multiple treatment sessions are usually required. The number of treatments varies based on the severity of the vein problem. Typically, three treatments are required for each spider vein. In each treatment session, as many of the spider veins will be treated as time allows. This is done to minimize the number of treatments required. Following treatment, you can go about most of your normal daily activities as desired. It should be understood that sclerotherapy is not a miracle cure. Neither injection therapy nor anything else will return the skin of the lower extremities to the way it was as a teenager. Certainly, most of the objectionable veins can be obliterated. Nevertheless, small blemishes inevitably remain that are visible to the naked eye. Because the veins of the lower extremities are under high pressure, there is a tendency for recurrence of spider veins. Either new areas with spider veins may develop or those areas that have been injected may recur at any time. This requires that an individual understand the need to return to the doctor for rechecks and minor additional treatments on a yearly basis. Please consider this information to be an introduction to the subject. Questions and discussion about treatment of your particular spider vein problem are welcome. Modified from: Goldman et al: Sclerotherapy:Treatment of Varicose and Telangiectatic Leg Veins, Fourth Edition, Philadelphia, Elsevier Mosby, 2007. |
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The Langsdon Clinic 7499 Poplar Pike Germantown, Tennessee 901-755-6465 888-816-FACE