What is sclerotherapy?
Sclerotherapy is used to treat visible thread veins on the legs. Very fine needles are used to inject a chemical called a sclerosant into vessels. The sclerosant irritates the lining of vessels and these vessels then disappear over 1-2 weeks. Injections are carried out at multiple sites using polarised light to visualise the tiny vessels. Sessions are conducted at 4-6 weekly intervals. Typically, 2-4 sessions are required depending on size of the area and severity of the veins before treatment
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Microsclerotherapy Before and After 2 Sessions of Treatment

What improvement can I expect?
Sclerotherapy can result in significant improvement in the appearance of superfiical veins. We aim to produce 70-80% improvemnt and this can usually be achieved with 2-4 sessions, depending on the severity of the veins when treatment is started. Each session typically costs £180-£240.

What side-effects should I expect?
The most common side-effects are discomfort due to the sclerosant injection, bruising at the site of injection and mild inflammation of the treated veins. A mild burning pain may be experienced during treatment, which reflects irritation of the chemical sclerosant along the vessels. Typically, these reactions all settle within 10-days. Side-effects can be helped by wearing support tights for 48-hours.

What rare side-effects can occur?

Scar Formation - White scar at the site of injection
Rarely, a white scar may form at the injection point due to a reaction of the skin.

Thrombophlebitis - inflammation of larger vessels lasting 10-days
If larger vessels become inflammed, it is important to rest and take analgesics. Paracetamol and Ibuprofen can be combined and should be taken regularly. Gentle exercise should be taken as well as resting to minimise the risk of a blood clot developing in deeper veins.

Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT)
Very rarely, the larger deep veins draining the leg may become inflammed and clot causing swelling of the lower leg and intense pain. This is extremely rare after microsclerotherapy but can develop after varicose vein surgery and invasive endovascular laser treatment of large veins of the legs. If this is suspected, the diagnosis needs to be confirmed at hospital by special blood tests and investigations.

Worsening of Spider Veins and New Vessel Formation
When treating larger veins, new vessels may develop at treated sites due to the body attempting to repair draining vessels. This is extremely rare following microsclerotherapy and tends to follow treatment of vessels 4-5mm in diameter.