Fast facts

Sclerotherapy

What it is: Sclerotherapy is a non-invasive treatment to reduce the appearance of spider veins.  During this procedure, a physician injects chemicals into the vein causing it to clot and close. The vein eventually heals and is replaced with scar tissue. 

What it addresses:  Clusters of tiny red or blue veins (also know as telangiectasias) that are visible on the surface of the skin, typically on the legs or face.

- spider veins
- telangectasias
- broken capillaries

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Question

What side effects are possible from spider vein treatment?

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Asked by: Anonymous

Answers (2)

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1
March 6, 2008
Sachit Shah
Sachit Shah

If you treat them with laser, the possible side effects include:

  • Pain
  • Swelling
  • Reddness
  • Bruising
  • Rarely scarring can occur
  • Problems with pigmentation can occur as well

If you treat them with sclerotherapy, immediately one can see bruising and swelling. Usually this fades very quickly. Sometimes pigmentation problems with deposition of a blood pigment is possible. However, using a laser should get rid of this problem.

Whenever somebody has spider veins on the legs I will perform an ultrasound to see if there is any weakness in the blood vessels of the legs so we can treat any fundamental problems that predispose the person to any recurrent problems.

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September 18, 2007
Dr David Gault
Dr David Gault

The main side effect of sclerotherapy is residual pigmentation, which is caused by a blood pigment called haemosiderin. Very few people are quite prone to developing this complication, but in this group it can be impossible to avoid. Aggressive massage begun two weeks after the treatment can sometimes help, and one of the pigment removing lasers can be used if necessary.

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