4 Benefits of Sclerotherapy for Varicose Veins

When you have varicose veins, you may want to hide them under pants, so no one sees them. But your appearance isn't the only issue these veins cause. You can also have pain and other uncomfortable symptoms.

Sclerotherapy is an effective treatment for varicose veins that has many benefits over other treatments.

If you're ready to discuss sclerotherapy for your varicose veins, our Vein, Heart, and Vascular Institute team is prepared to help. Our two vascular specialists, Dr. Hesham Fakhri and Dr. Abdulghani Saadi, provide you with treatment options for bothersome varicose veins.

Understanding varicose veins

Varicose veins are blood vessels that are swollen and appear on the surface of your skin. They often are squiggly and blue or purple. Varicose veins most often appear on the legs and ankles.

You develop varicose veins when the valves in your leg veins become damaged. The valves keep the blood flowing in the right direction, back to your heart. But when the valves are damaged, the blood stays and pools in your legs, causing such symptoms as:

• Bulging veins
• Discolored veins
• Aching in your legs
• Itching around the veins
• Heaviness in your legs
• Swelling in your legs

The symptoms of varicose veins vary depending on the size of the vein and its location. Typically, your symptoms start mild and become more severe as the vein worsens.

What is sclerotherapy?

Sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive, nonsurgical procedure that we use to shrink your varicose veins for good. We can use it for both spider and varicose veins when you have uncomfortable symptoms or want the veins gone.

We inject an irritating solution into the problematic veins during the sclerotherapy procedure. The chemical solution damages the vein, causing it to scar and close off.

Once the vein is closed, you won't notice it anymore, and you shouldn't have any symptoms. The procedure only takes about half an hour, and you can go home immediately.

Benefits of sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy is a great option when you have unsightly varicose veins causing uncomfortable symptoms. There are other treatment options as well, but sclerotherapy has many benefits, including:

You don't need anesthesia

Sclerotherapy is an in-office procedure to get rid of your varicose veins. There's no need for anesthesia, as it's a minimally invasive procedure.

You shouldn't feel any pain during the sclerotherapy procedure, but you may feel a burning sensation or mild itching for a few minutes afterward.

It's highly effective

Sclerotherapy is highly effective for small to medium varicose veins. In most cases, all the veins injected with the chemical solution respond well and disappear within a few weeks of your procedure.

You get fast results

If you have smaller varicose or spider veins, you may notice results in as little as three weeks after the procedure. More prominent varicose veins take longer to collapse, with full results showing about 6-12 weeks after sclerotherapy.

The treated veins won't come back

If your sclerotherapy treatment is successful, you don't have to worry about those varicose veins returning. Once the vein has collapsed, it won't resurface, but you may need additional treatment for new varicose veins.

If you're interested in learning more about how sclerotherapy can help you, call one of our offices in Wesley Chapel, Sun City Center, or Tampa, Florida, today. You can also schedule an appointment online.