Asclera (Polidocanol) for Varicose Veins

Polidocanol is not FDA approved. It has advantages because it is painless on injection, has low likelihood of skin necrosis and is effective. It is commonly used for feeder veins, reticular veins and some individuals use it for varicose veins. Its concentration when used is 0.5% to 1 %.

Yes!  Polidocanol can be used to successfully treat larger caliber veins including varicose veins.  Although these veins can be visualized easily and treated with sclerotherapy, ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy can be more effective in treating affected vessels, by identifying potential feeder vessels called accessory or perforating vessels.  If you have varicose veins, it would be wise to first obtain an ultrasound study of the legs--quick, easy, painless, and... more

It works best on spider veins and reticular veins. i have never used it on varicose veins and am happy with performing microphlebectomy are larger varicose veins if ablation of tributaries dont work to shut the varicose vein down. i have seen a number of complications from other physicians injecting a wide range of agents into larger veins including matting and skin staining with dark brown spots.

Yes, Polidocanol (Asclera) does work and is now FDA approved in the US (March 2010).  We've been using it in our office for awhile now with excellent results.  Patients are who've previously were injected in Sotradecol find Asclera to be just as tolerable and effective.

There are many options for sclerotherapy, including polidocanol and STS.  There is no universal medicine that is applicable for every situation.  I would advise you to go to a board certified phlebologist.

Polidocanol (also known as Aethoxysklerol) is an effective chemical detergant for treatment of a wide range of leg veins. It's concentration is often diluted for differing size veins, and has the advantage of less discomfort and lower incidence of skin ulceration. One big disadvantage is it is not FDA approved for use in the U.S. It also tends to not flow as well into the veins, so more injections may be needed to treat large areas and multiple veins. I have also found it to cause more... more

Sclerotherapy with Polidocanol can be very safe and effective as long as the cause of the varicose veins is close to the veins that are being injected. Varicose veins are dilated veins and are the result of abnormally high pressure in the veins. This, in turn, is due to the combination of weak vein walls and broken vein valves. Typically, surface spider veins are driven by reticular veins just under the skin. These reticular veins may be driven by subcutaneous veins, which may themselves... more