Does Sclarotherapy Work?

The cost depends on the doctor and your location. There are rarely any side effects, but make sure you go to someone who is experienced

Sclerotherapy for treatment of unwanted vessels on the thighs and legs works very well and most patients are extremely pleased with their results. Side effects of treatment include: temporary redness, swelling, occasional temporary discoloration of the skin (rarely over a few months). But in general, nothing very serious. Cost per procedure is variable in different parts of the country, but based on the amount of areas treated (or the volume of sclerosant... more

Sclerotherapy is an effective treatment for spider and reticular veins.  Treatment efficacy, however, depends on technique and the proper diagnosis of your condition.  Sometimes spider veins may be an external sign of a deeper vein problem.

Spider veins and verticular varicose veins can be eliminated permanently through sclerotherapy. I attached a video of sclerotherapy. This is only a portion of the procedure. You can actually watch the veins disappear as the solution is injected. A laser is used as a second line of treatment or as a clean-up procedure after sclerotherapy when the remaining veins are too small to inject. see video

Sclerotherapy is effective when appropriate veins are chosen for injection, always from proximal to distal areas of the lower extremities. You asked about side effects and most importantly one should remember that any of the sclerosant solutions can cause hyperpigmentation which in rare cases, can last as long as a year or more. To prevent hyperpigmentation, meticulous technique should be used as well as avoiding excessive pressure during the injection process to avoid extravasation of... more

Yes, sclerotherapy does work. However, you should not expect all those nasty little vessles to be gone in one session. If 75 per cent resolve after each session that is not a bad success rate. There are a number of potential complications depending on the solution that is used. For instance, ulcerations are most common with hypertonic saline, and rare with chromated glycerine. Some of the more common complications include bruising, ulcerations, and edema (swelling) of the lower legs, ... more