As well as your experience with VeinWave, sclerosing solutions used to obliterate spider veins and reticular veins can cause pigment deposition in the skin. How often does this occur? It has been observed in up to 1/3 of patients when hypertonic saline is used as the sclerosing solution, in 7 to 31 % of... more
Hyperpigmentation from Veinwave treatment
I had Veinwave treatment for spider veins, which left me with awful hyperpigmentation marks that look worse than the thread veins. Although the doctor told me they would fade away in a few months, it's been over a year now, and I still have them. I've tried the fadeout cream (religiously for 4 months) but it hasn't made the slightest difference. Is there any kind of treatment that would rid me of these very unsightly marks?
2 answers to “Hyperpigmentation from Veinwave...”
A: A topical retinoid may help.
A topical retinoid such as retin-a or adapalene may help with the pigmentation. I would advise mixing the retin-a with a bland moisturizer first, as applying retin-a directly can irritate the skin. Retin-a does require a prescription. Over-the-counter products, however containing retinol or... more
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38 posts
12 Jan 2009
I am sorry that you are experiencing this. Is the discoloration on your legs or face? Sclerotherapy, not IPL or coagulation, is still considered the gold standard for leg spider veins. It sounds like you may be suffering from hemosiderin staining...which can occur when blood leaks out of a broken vessel. This can fade with time (often as much as a year), and hydroquinone 4% can fade it some too. Make sure your bleaching cream is a prescription strength, and not over the counter.
unregistered guest
5 May 2009
I had sclerotherapy at a top Park Avenue clinic, very well known and highly touted. They completely ruined my legs. What was initially a tiny little area of light spider veins became a large, extended area of dark angry spider veins following the treatment. I was told it was an allergic reaction to the solution, commonly seen in fair skinned redheads, and unexpected for me since I am a medium tan skinned hispanic. I was told to return & that "blitzing" it with additional doses of the solution would clear it up. Baloney! It got even worse, my entire leg is now full of dark veins and it has been at least 4 years with no "clearing up" ocurring. Beware!
1 post
22 Jun 2009
If you are of Latin decent - beware! I am a fair-skinned West-Indian female and about 20 years ago I chose to treat my spider veins with sclerotherapy. The result was PERMANENT hyper-pigmentation. That's right - it has NEVER faded. This, in spite of carefully following all of the doctor's post-treatment advise. I was hoping that one day something might be developed to correct this problem, but it seems that even laser treatments aren't the answer. Too bad for me...and for all of the treatment developers out there who continue to ignore this issue. They're missing out on a COLORFUL WORLD of business!