Sclerotherapy is the treatment of varicose and spider veins, most commonly found in the legs.
A lot of patients describe bulging and visible veins in their legs which can causing an aching pain after a long day. This is due to the valves in the veins malfunctioning causing blood to pool in the veins and cause these symptoms.
The varicose veins can be seen under the surface of the skin and look dark purple or blue in colour, are bulging and sometimes appear twisted. Spider veins are smaller and can appear as red or blue webs of veins more superficial than varicose veins. They can also be found on the face as well.
So why do some people get them and not others? Well, the malfunction in the veins can occur when people stand up for long periods of time, so many of our clients are teachers, nurses, hairdressers, people who, due to their profession, stand up all day.
VV can occur due to pregnancy as it cause a change to the circulatory system to allow for growth of the new foetus which can encourage VV to develop. As the pregnancy progresses, the baby grows, and this can add extra pressure on the legs, causing the veins to bulge.
VV can also occur during menopause and due to a genetic link too. Also, it’s not just women who experience VV, we also treat men.
So how does the treatment work? We inject a sclerosing agent into the unwanted veins to collapse them, and instantly you see them disappearing. The veins that are injected are gone forever! Usually a series of treatments is required, as not all veins can be treated during the one treatment, and patients come back every 10-14 days. Some clients are required to wear compression stockings after each treatment to ensure the veins that we treat remain closed.
We recommend treating the veins in winter time, as bruising can occur, and compression stockings aren’t comfortable to wear in the warmer months.
The results from these treatments are permanent, and usually maintenance treatments are required after the initial course to treat new veins that malfunction. Which Is generally once a year.
A great benefit to this treatment is that for most clients, a Medicare rebate is available, so come along and find out how many treatments you will need and get rid of the veins in time for summer.
