Sclerotherapy
What is Sclerotherapy?
Sclerotherapy is a simple treatment that involves directly injecting a solution into a varicose vein under the guidance of ultrasound imaging. This procedure is minimally invasive, short in timing and relatively painless to the patient.
When performing Sclerotherapy, VIP physicians will use a solution that is directly injected into the varicose vein. This solution is called a Sclerosant or Sotradecol. Generally, the agent injected comes as a liquid. Most physicians will turn the liquid agent into a soapy foam solution by stirring it up with air.
The injected solution then irritates the inside walls of the dilated vein, forcing the vessel to close off and become scar tissue. After a short period, the remaining scar tissue remnants eventually become absorbed by the body and will diminish in appearance resulting in younger, healthier looking legs.
Since Sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive treatment, typically no downtime is anticipated. On rare occasion, a small amount of downtime may be projected depending on the severity of the treated veins. However, shall this be of concern, your physician will properly address this at the time of treatment.
During the exam, dependent on the number of injections needed, the patient can expect the typical treatment time to take anywhere from 10 to 35 minutes. It is not uncommon for patients to experience potentially minor to mild discomfort during the injections.
After injections have been administered, you will be advised to wear compression stockings for the following days to aid in the betterment of creating scar tissue. Generally, you will be advised to wear the compression stockings for a fixed length of time.
Here at VIP, we have our patients wear compression stockings around the clock for the first 24 hours, then typically 12 hours a day for the next 3 to 7 days.
Have questions?
To learn more about how our physicians can help you, contact us directly (602) 200-9339
