Treat Your Spider Veins With Sclerotherapy
Did you go through summer complaining about your spider veins? Fall and Winter are the best times to be proactive and have your spider veins treated. Advanced Laser Clinic offers free consultations to make sure you are a good candidate for sclerotherapy in Springfield Missouri. Call us today to schedule. Don’t go through another summer wishing they were gone!
Spider vein treatment could be performed any time of the year. However many patients feel more comfortable wearing compression stockings during the cooler months of the year. Moreover, complete healing, including the disappearance of the treated spider veins, bruising and pigmentation, may sometimes take several weeks.
If you want to make sure that your legs are ready for summer, make sure to start the treatments in the fall. Since you will need more than one treatment, this timeline will get you on track for beautiful legs in the spring.
How Does Sclerotherapy Work?
Sclerotherapy is a relatively simple spider vein treatment consisting of a reticular vein removal procedure using tiny needles to inject a sclerosing solution into the problem veins, causing them to collapse and fade. Not only will your legs' appearance improve dramatically, but the bothersome symptoms associated with spider veins will also significantly improve, including burning, aching, swelling and night cramps.
Sclerosing agents that are used for reticular and spider vein removal are mild enough to allow predictable and relatively painless treatment.
At Advanced Laser Clinic we treat spider and reticular veins with a combination of minimally invasive techniques including Hypertonic saline and the FDA-approved prescription medicine Asclera.
Asclera® is a sclerosing agent that is injected into the vein. It works by damaging the endothelium, the cells lining the inside of blood vessels. This causes blood platelets to attach to the lining of the vessels; eventually, cellular debris and platelets cause the blood vessel to clot. Over time, the clotted vein will be replaced with tissue and new, healthy vessels that aren’t visible on the skin’s surface.
What Is Recovery From Sclerotherapy Like?
Although sclerotherapy generally does not require any recovery time, it is advisable to avoid activities that may lead to dilation of veins and blood stagnation, such as heavy lifting, strenuous exercise or hot baths. You are encouraged to walk to speed up the circulation in the legs and enhance the safety of the procedure. Wearing compression stockings for about two weeks after treatment is also recommended to improve the spider vein removal outcome and minimize discomfort and complications.
Is There Any Pain After Sclerotherapy?
Most patient experience no pain, or only mild tenderness for a few hours after a sclerotherapy session. However, there can be some degree of inflammatory response after a sclerotherapy session, with mild to moderate sensitivity and tenderness in the area, depending on the density and thickness of the veins treated as well as the type and strength of the solution used. Anti-inflammatory medications are commonly used to minimize these symptoms.
We like patients to wear their compression stockings for 24 hours after the procedure, and then for 2 weeks during the day (as much as possible). It is not a requirement to wear them. However, we do recommend it.
What Are The Side Effects Of Sclerotherapy?
Serious medical complications from reticular and spider vein treatment with sclerotherapy are extremely rare when the procedure is performed by a qualified technician. Common side effects of spider vein treatment with sclerotherapy are usually temporary and well tolerated. The most common effects of sclerotherapy include:
• Swelling, redness, tenderness and itching (these tend to gradually disappear within hours to days).
• Some bruising and retained dark blood clots in the treated veins. Minor bruising usually occurs, but fades over a few weeks in most cases.
• Brown pigmentation and matting (the appearance of a blush-like microscopic network of fine red vessels).
• A small skin ulceration that would heal leaving a permanent scar. This is a rare event in experienced hands and is minimized by careful and meticulous injections using the mildest solution that can achieve the desired result.
• Allergic reactions to sclerotherapy solutions (tends to be very rare).
Who Are The Best Candidates For Sclerotherapy?
Woman and men of any age who are suffering from unsightly spider veins and reticular veins (small to medium-sized blue or red veins) are good candidates for sclerotherapy. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it is advisable to postpone sclerotherapy, as fetal safety is not established.
In addition, many pregnant women experience dramatic spontaneous improvement in the months following delivery, making treatment simpler, and sometimes unnecessary. At Advanced Laser Clinic we will examine your legs, review your medical history and the severity of your condition to determine the best spider vein treatment procedure or a combination of treatments.
At Advanced Laser Clinic a typical sclerotherapy session is $175 and usually takes about 45-60 minutes. Our consultations are free, so you can be reassured that you are a good candidate and will know exactly what to expect during the treatment. During the consultation we will also discuss how many treatments you may need as well as wearing compression stockings.