Sclerotherapy

Minimising the appearance of thread veins

What are Thread Veins?

Thread veins (also known as spider veins) are small superficial veins that are visible just below the surface of the skin. They are often red or purple in appearance and are found in a "spidery" network in patches around the skin.

Many people develop thread veins with age or during pregnancy, and are more common in those who sit or stand for long periods.

What is Sclerotherapy?

Sclerotherapy is the process of injecting an irritant into a blood vessel with the intent to cause inflammation, coagulation of blood, and narrowing of the blood vessel wall. This treatment aims to reduce the appearance of thread veins.

The product used to achieve this is Fibrovein - a sterile aqueous injection of Sodium Tetradecyl Sulfate (STS), an anionic detergent. Fibrovein damages the vein's lining, causing the vein to go into spasm and triggering clot formation. The blood forms a hard "sclerothrombus" to occlude the vein, and the body's healing mechanism converts this into a fibrous cord, resulting in complete obliteration of the vein.

This treatment is not designed to treat varicose veins - you should see your GP if you have larger veins that need treating.

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What should I expect?

Some improvement is seen immediately, but full results aren't seen until 4 weeks after all swelling and bruising has resolved. Results after one treatment vary considerably between patients. Some veins may disappear completely whilst others may only fade and some remain unchanged. On completion of a successful treatment, you can expect an improvement in overall appearance of 60-80%. In most cases, further treatment will be necessary.

No medical procedure is without risk, and you will discuss these thoroughly with your practitioner in your consultation prior to treatment. Some risks of sclerotherapy include: swelling, bruising, redness, bleeding, infection, headache or migraine symptoms, allergic reaction, pigmentation, thrombophlebitis, deep vein thrombosis or tissue necrosis. To minimise these risks, choose a practitioner with suitable qualifications, training, and experience.

If you are at higher risk of DVT you may be unsuitable for this treatment.

Post-Treatment Advice

It is normal to have red bumps and bruise after treatment. This will settle with time
Wear compression stockings for at least 4 days continuously, then for 10 days during the daytime. This minimises the likelihood of pigmentation and thrombophlebitis
Keep moving and avoid sitting still immediately afterwards
Avoid touching and rubbing the treated areas, and do not massage the area
Avoid extreme heat for 1 week post-treatment (i.e. hot baths, saunas, steam rooms)
Do not carry out heavy exercise for 48 hours - increasing blood flow to the treated area counteracts the treatment effects
Avoid sunlight/UV radiation for 4 weeks to reduce the risk of pigmentation
Further treatments may be needed in 4-6 weeks