How Sclerotherapy Can Help You Manage Varicose Vein


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Varicose veins and spider veins are not uncommon among adults. They affect between 30-60% of adults by making veins appear on their skin. If you experience spider veins or varicose veins, the good news is that you can make the unwanted veins disappear. Kevin McElroy, DO, and Steven Ferrer, MD, offers sclerotherapy in Glen Rock at Regressive Progressive Spine & Sports Medicine and can help you. Read below to see how the procedure can help you manage your condition.

Sclerotherapy Definition

This medical procedure aims to eliminate the small, flat veins or more prominent and bulging veins underneath your skin. It is a proven procedure that has proven effective since the 1930s. A solution, particularly a salt solution, is injected directly into your veins, irritating the blood vessel's lining, collapsing, and sticking it together. In due time, the vessel becomes scar tissue fading from view.

Eligibility for Sclerotherapy

If you are experiencing a spider or varicose vein, please reach out to your provider at Progressive Spine & Sports Medicine. During your consultation, your provider will help you know if you are a good candidate for the procedure or not.

If you are pregnant, you may not be eligible for the procedure. Besides, you can not undergo sclerotherapy treatment if you take birth control pills. You should not have had a blood clot in the past for you to be eligible for the treatment procedure. However, sclerotherapy eligibility can vary from one person to another depending on your overall well-being and the causes of your complication.

Note that if the veins are potentially usable in the future for a heart bypass surgery are affected, you will generally not be considered for sclerotherapy. The procedure can only be executed if the veins are deemed unusable.

How it is Done

As mentioned earlier, sclerotherapy involves the injection of a salt solution into the affected veins. This can be done using a very fine needle to inject it directly into the veins. This can cause mild cramping and discomfort for about two minutes, particularly when more prominent veins are injected. The procedure itself can go for up to 30 minutes depending on the number of veins injected in one session, the vein's location and size, and the underlying medical complication or cause.

Sclerotherapy is performed at your doctor's office as an outpatient procedure, and you will be home soon. The only thing your provider may instruct you is to avoid aerobic activities for a few days after your treatment.

How You Prepare

If your provider confirms you are a good candidate for sclerotherapy, they will give you special instructions for your preparations. You may be required to avoid certain medications, and that is why it is vital to give accurate information about your medications, including your supplements, during your consultation. You can also be required not to apply lotion to your legs before the procedure.

After the Procedure

After sclerotherapy, you can drive yourself home. You can also return to your daily activities immediately but with care depending on the causes of your condition. You may be required to wear compression hosiery. You also may be required to avoid hot compressions, hot baths, direct exposure to sunlight, and whirlpools or saunas.

Get rid of those undesirable veins underneath your skin today. Reach out to Progressive Spine & Sports Medicine.