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39 reviews

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Sclerotherapy Cost ≈ $500 average cost

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Can Sclerotherapy Treat Facial Veins?

I have a vein under my eye that I would like treated. This is a single larger vein, not spider veins. Is facial sclerotherapy a possiblity?

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Sclerotherapy is not recommended for the face

Depending on the size of the vessel and the color, there are at least 3 different lasers that I would consider using. The problem with sclerotherapy around the eye is that the the product that is being injected can cause vision loss or blindness, and this has been reported in the medical literature. Care must be taken when using lasers around the eyes as well, but this is why it is extremely important that you go to a dermatology or plastic surgery office that specializes in these... more

William Groff, DO

San Diego Dermatologist

Sclerotherapy for large vessel under the eye?

My first for treating a large vessel around the eye area like you describe would be Nd:YAG laser. We have treated a great many vessels just like this for patients and they are very pleased with the results. Vessels respond very nicely, discomfort is extremely minute and seldom is there downtime (bruising). The key is selecting someone with good experience treating vessels. Choose your treating practitioner wisely and you will be pleased with your result. more

Grant Stevens, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Sclerotherapy works great for periorbital vessels!

This is an area of the face which rightfully provokes much anxiety and concern. Injecting medicine into blood vessels around the eye? Couldn't that cause blindness? Realizing that the anatomy of the periorbital tissues is separate and distinct from the eye is the first factor to consider. Sclerotherapy works wonderfully for vessels that are the proper size for this technique (small, like spider veins on your leg, but big enough to get a 30 gauge needle into). This includes facial or... more

Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS

Minneapolis Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Laser best for facial veins

Sclerotherapy is generally not a good treatment option for facial veins. The risk of skin damage (ulcer, scar) or damage to surrounding structures (such as the eye!) is too great. Lasers are my treatment of choice for facial veins. For the deeper, larger, bluer veins, I find the long-pulsed Nd:Yag laser (1064nm) the best treatment, though a long-pulsed Alexandrite laser (755nm) is also quite effective in lighter skin types. Be sure you have proper eye protection in this... more

Jeffrey C. Poole, MD

Metairie Dermatologic Surgeon

Lasers are a better option for facial veins

Lasers are a better option for facial veins. In my office we use the Vbeam laser which is very effective at treating facial veins.

Brian Dubow, MD

Los Angeles Dermatologic Surgeon

Treating spider veins around the eyes

Lower eyelid broken capillaries and veins can be treated with a number of different techniques, none of which is the gold standard. I would prefer to treat these veins with puncture ligation or laser. Ligation, as stated by Dr. Hratch Karamanoukian, is an ideal treatment for larger sized vessels.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Laser or Microphlebectomy for Blue Vein around the eyes

While you are theorectically treat veins around the eyes with Sclerotherapy, I would not recommend it. The risk for serious complications including blindness and skin necrosis far outweighs the benefits, especially when there are much better alternatives. Depending on the size of the blood vessels, I generally treat these veins with either Pulsed Dye Laser or KTP (for smaller vessels), or Nd:Yag for larger vessels. Your doctor needs to be very careful around the eye, as lasers... more

Margaret Mann, MD

Cleveland Dermatologic Surgeon

Lasers or Removal are better for blue veins around the eye

Sclerotherapy of blue vessels around the eye can cause serious enough problems that it's rarely done. We have several lasers available that can safely treat most blue veins around the eye--protecting the eye from the laser beam is important. If the vessel is more than 2 mm in diameter, then a specialized technique of very gentle surgical removal (a micro-phlebectomy) can be done through a very small incision.

Margaret Weiss, MD

Baltimore Dermatologist

Laser works as well for facial veins

To treat a larger, "non-spider vein" around the eye, usually sclerotherapy is the best method. Sometimes a laser can work just as well if not better, depending on how close to the eye the vein is located. But a complimentary consultation is recommended to find out your best option. As far as general broken capillaries on the face, laser definitely does the trick. Either Cutera's Laser Genesis and/or Limelight treatments.

William J. Hedden, MD

Birmingham Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Microphlebectomy works best for facial veins around the eye

Microphlebectomy surgery involves making a few small incisions (after numbing the area) about 1 mm wide above the varicose vein and withdrawing the vein by hooking it out. The incision is usually so small that sutures are not needed to close it. There is almost always bruising afterwards in this area. We don't like lasers too close to the eye and sclerotherapy may cause blindness as a risk in this area. Furthermore, the increase blood flow in this area may diminish the effectiveness of... more

Tammy Wu, MD

Modesto Plastic Surgeon

Sclerotherapy would be dangerous around the eye

If you sclerose a lower eyelid vein, it is possible that the sclerosing agent could get into the deeper veins around the eye. If these were to occlude, potential visual loss could ensue. I have had success with these veins by rubbing my finger along them in both directions to determine their direction of flow and if there are perforators entering the vein along its length. If I can obliterate the flow with my finger, a tiny incision over the vein at that location and dividing the vein... more

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Facial Veins - Sclerotherapy, Surgery or Laser Therapy

Facial veins need to be handled with special care - spider veins can be treated with lasers; vessels larger than 4 mm are best handled with a puncture wound and removal with ligaion of the stump end. A sngle suture can be placed and removed in 2 days. They heal wth good cosmetic outcome.

Hratch Karamanoukian, MD

Buffalo General Surgeon

Laser is far superior and much safer in the face

Facial veins can be treated much the same as leg veins. However, they react differently to the same treatment. The skin on the face is much thinner than the leg. The chance of discoloration or skin ulcers is much greater on the face with injections. Also near the eye, injections should be very limited. The risk of damage to the eye is real. There are many laser which can eliminate the veins around the face. Some lasers can be very effective, but can cause significant bruising. Other... more

David A. Dreyfuss, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Yes, but it is not the best option

These veins, if large, are often treated by surgical tying or laser treatments. There is a potential risk if these veins are injected that the medicine could travel backwards into vital structures of the head. These veins tend to be too big for external laser treatment.