Introduction
The gold standard treatment of spider veins is sclerotherapy, which can treat a large variety of small and large veins. Laser vein removal is limited to facial veins or very fine veins on the legs or particularly feet.
Sclerotherapy is used to treat and remove spider veins and varicose veins on the legs, ankles, and feet. Sclerotherapy can also be used for some facial veins, breast veins, and hand veins.
An FDA-approved medicine called Asclera™ or polidocanol is injected into the vein using a fine needle. The vein becomes irritated from the solution, causing it to collapse and absorb into the body. The procedure can be done in the office and is suitable for many types of veins.
What is Sclerotherapy?
Sclerotherapy involves the injection of a medicated solution, called a sclerosant, into spider veins. The sclerosant irritates the lining of the blood vessels and causes them to collapse. Over subsequent weeks and months, the body gradually absorbs the vein. Each treatment can be associated with 50-60% improvement, with multiple treatments required for 80-90% improvement.
Sclerotherapy can be augmented with several advanced techniques, including:
- Ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy
- Veinlite enhanced sclerotherapy
- Augmented Reality
Cryosclerotherapy is an additional measure to enhance patient comfort. The whole procedure is done using a cryo unit that produces a continuous flow of cold air to the sites of application of sclerotherapy injections. The result is the cold air anesthetizes the skin, so the treatment is relatively painless. This is especially helpful for the treatment of spider veins in sensitive areas like the behind the knees and thighs.
