How Soon After a Flight Can I Get Schlerotherapy on Lower Legs?

Question

I have a long flight to Asia from US. How soon can I get schlero on ankles and calves of one leg after flight?

Ron Shelton, MD · Answer

you should certainly not have airplane travel immediately after leg vein injections but should you travel and then have the leg veins injected there should be no conflict. However, if you unfortunately develop a coincidental blood clot in your leg from the prolonged airplane travel, it may not be discovered for a week or more after your travel and then the sclerotherapy might be blamed in error.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD · Answer

Sclerotherapy can vary in magnitude from small spider veins to extensive treatment of larger and deeper veins using ultrasound guidance. While the former could theoretically be performed on a limited basis immediately prior or subsequent to air travel, the latter may be contra-indicated for as long as the clot is present in the deeper veins.

Hratch Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

In our large vein practice, we recommend that patient stay very ambulatory AFTER sclerotherapy. This means that we encourage ALL activities such as walking, treadmill, elliptical and so on. We encourage exercises that stimulate the calf muscles to work, as this reduces stasis of blood. When blood moves and is actively being pumped out of the legs, the risk of deep vein clots is significantly reduced.As such, driving for longer than 2 hours at a time is discouraged. I tell patients to get out of the car and walk for 2-5 minutes every two hours if they are the driver. If they are the passenger, I encourage them to do foot exercises (like a pedal, up and down) - 30 times every half hour during the ride. I do not restrict sclerotherapy in a patient who has flown in the day before their procedure unless they took a flight longer than 6 hours or if they had an international flight. There is no data to support this but there is literature to suggest that patients can develop DVT after long flights. Of course, anyone who has driven for long periods of time or who has recently flown and has a swollen leg needs to be evaluated before sclerotherapy to rule out DVT before any cosmetic procedures are performed. If they are having ultrasound guided sclerotherapy, we scan the leg prior to sclerotherapy to make sure there is no evidence of DVT.

John Landi, MD · Answer

I do not give any time restrictions after flying to receive sclerotherapy but  I do not recommend flying or driving over 2 hours straight for 2 weeks after sclerotherapy.

Victoria Karlinsky-Bellini, MD · Answer

we ask our patients to ovoid plane trips at least one week after the treatment but we do not have any restriction on flying before the treatment. normally, depending on how extensive is the problem, we recommend 4 to 6 sessions and the cost is $450.00 per session.

How Soon After a Flight Can I Get Schlerotherapy on Lower Legs?

Answers (7)

Answer: Immediately.

Answer: Immediately.

Answer: Scleroteraphy after a plane trip

Answer: Scleroteraphy after a plane trip

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Sclerotherapy

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.

How Soon After a Flight Can I Get Schlerotherapy on Lower Legs?

Answers (7)

Answer: Immediately.

Answer: Immediately.

Answer: Scleroteraphy after a plane trip

Answer: Scleroteraphy after a plane trip

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Sclerotherapy

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.