Sclerotherapy for Spider & Varicose Veins in Traverse City & Cadillac, MI

Sclerotherapy treatment sessions usually last 25-30 minutes. Every patient is different, and the number of sessions needed varies depending on the severity of your condition. Most cases require three to six treatments; however, this is only a guideline, and your individual case may be different. Your legs may begin to show improvement in as little as a few weeks, but the best results are usually seen after several treatment sessions. After healing has occurred, spider vein “roadmaps” and bulging varicose veins will be gone, leaving you with healthy, great-looking legs.

Other than wearing compression stockings, there is nothing you need to do. We do recommend the use of Dermaka cream to help limit bruising and to lower the risk of staining.

The vein will instantly diminish in appearance but may look inflamed or irritated soon after the procedure. Over the next few weeks, the body scavenges and removes the unused vein. It typically takes 4-6 weeks to see maximum benefit. While you should notice significant improvement after your first session, most people require more than one session to completely eradicate spider veins.

After we have injected your spider veins, if you’ve had a number of veins treated, we will likely have you wear compression stockings for a 5-7 days. Compression helps the body begin the process of absorbing the closed-off veins and prevents blood from re-filling the veins that were treated. Walking and light exercise is fine immediately after your session. If you’ve had several veins treated, you should avoid any strenuous exercise for a few days.

There are usually no restrictions on physical activity after sclerotherapy and in fact, exercise is encouraged, although high-impact aerobics should be eliminated for 1 week. We do discourage direct sun exposure to treated areas for a couple of weeks after each treatment (sunscreens are adequate protection during this time).

The needles used at Northern Michigan Vein Specialists are very small and tend to feel like a mosquito bite. Most people find this relatively painless.

The veins treated with sclerotherapy are destroyed and will be reabsorbed by the body so they can’t come back. However, nothing can be done to prevent your body from forming new spider veins. But new spider veins can be treated just as effectively as the previous ones with sclerotherapy. We cannot cure venous disease — but we can control and maintain it!

Sclerotherapy was first described in the late 1600s, but we have had good medicines for sclerotherapy since 1946, and it has proven safe and effective. There is a very low risk of any reaction to the sclerosant solution. Tens of millions of sclerosant injections have been given, and sclerotherapy continues to be the method of choice for treating spider veins. Minor issues may be some redness at the injection sites and slight irritation, but side effects beyond that are rare.