What is Sclerotherapy? 

Sclerotherapy is widely considered the best minimally invasive treatment for spider veins and small varicose veins. This procedure involves injecting a medicine (called sclerosant) into spider veins. The sclerosant medication chemically damages the spider veins’ walls, making them stick together until they’re eventually absorbed by the body. Meanwhile, the accumulated blood reroutes into healthier leg veins and restores optimal blood circulation to the heart.

During your sclerotherapy treatment, your vein doctor will elevate your legs to inject sclerosant into the visible spider veins and small varicose veins. The sclerosant medicine induces a chemical response upon contacting the blood in your veins, making your spider veins shrink and harden into scar tissues. The accumulated blood reroutes into healthier leg veins with functional vein valves. Meanwhile, the hardened spider veins get reabsorbed by the body until they’re no longer visible on your skin’s surface.

Sclerotherapy is an in-office and outpatient procedure that concludes within 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of spider veins and their size. After the procedure, the vein doctor applies pressure on your veins while you stand up to prevent blood from accumulating in your leg veins. Finally, you have to wear compression stockings for a few days to ensure optimal blood circulation.