How Effective is Sclerotherapy?

Sclerotherapy involves the injection of a chemical irritant directly into the small spider veins. These spider veins are completely out of the circulation and do nothing other than look bad. There are two main chemicals that can be used to perform sclerotherapy, hypertonic saline and sodium tetradecyl sulfate. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. In my experience some times one chemical seems to work better than the other. If your veins seem resistant to one it is possible that... more

There has been several scientific studies comparing sclerotherapy to laser for small leg vessels. Sclerotherapy is more effective with fewer treatments. The ankle area is a risky area if the sclerosant is injected outside the vessel becasue necrosis can occur and this area is very slow to heal. Your age, the vessel size, and your medical history are all important in this decision, so please go to someone experienced and comfortable treating this tricky area.

I agree that the small vessels of the legs and ankles can be resistant to treatment with sclerotherapy. Furthermore, when the vessels are so small, even the best practitioner may have difficulty injecting these vessels. Vascular lasers are options to consider including the ND:YAG 1064, v-beam (pulsed-dye) and IPl/fotofacial. Good luck.

Sclerotherapy is very effective. It is important to be aware that several treatments may be needed, and over time you will tend to form more spiders. That said, it is important also to know that sclerotherapy (injections) has limits- spiders that are too small can't be injected because the needle is too big! For these, you may want to look into laser or other non-injection treatments. sek

Sclerotherapy has a very high satisfaction rate as you might judge from its sitting pretty close to the top of the poll on this site. Your physician is correct as the small vessels can be very difficult to eradicate. The more times sclero is done the harder it is to get rid of the remaining vessels. I thought that was just me until I went to a meeting and that was pretty much the universal feeling of all the participants. The vessels may develop some sort of resistance. Also,... more

When done by an experienced physician with training in vein treatment and an understanding of leg veins, sclerotherapy is extremely successful with an excellent safety record. The most important thing is to find the right doctor. Dermatologic surgeons who perform sclerotherapy are typically your best choice; knowing how leg veins connect with each other, what solution to use and in what concentration, and when to perform ultrasound testing is very important. McGraw-Hill is... more

You can try laser treatments for the small veins, such as the Vbeam alser. However, a more experienced physician in sclerotherapy will be able to provide better clearance and results.

In the right hands Sclerotherapy can be very effective for spider veins on the legs. I have been treating spider veins on the legs for over twenty years and have been very pleased with the results. It does however require an understanding that depending upon the type and number of vessels several sessions may be required. We generally start with the larger veins and work our way down to the smaller ones. It is important to treat the large veins first because they can... more

The major problem with sclerotherapy is that any physician or nurse can pick up a needle, syringe and solution and inject it into a vein. But, to get a safe and effective treatment you must see a dermatologic surgeon who knows which veins to treat in which order with the appropriate type of solution. My patients usually require only ONE treatment to eliminate >90% of their veins. Two treatments gets us to >99%. The reason is that unwanted leg veins on the legs are ALL... more

Your recurrence rate after sclerotherapy may be a sign that you have underlying venous reflux or that the root or truncal vessels are not being adequately treated.  Ensure that you go to a board certified phlebologist to ensure good results.