Sclerotherapy & Laser Treatment for Varicose Veins

Varicose veins are enlarged veins that can be flesh colored, dark purple or blue. They often look like cords and appear twisted and bulging. They are swollen and raised above the surface of the skin.  Varicose veins are commonly found on the backs of the calves or on the inside of the leg.

Spider veins are similar to varicose veins, but they are smaller. They are often red or blue and are closer to the surface of the skin than varicose veins.  They can look like tree branches or spider webs with their short jagged lines. Spider veins can be found on the legs and face. They can cover either a very small or very large area of skin.

Symptoms Varicose Veins:

• Aching, heavy legs (often worse at night and after exercise)
• Ankle swelling
• A brownish-blue shiny skin discoloration around the veins
• Skin over the vein may become dry, itchy and thin, leading to eczema (venous eczema)
• The skin may darken (stasis dermatitis), because of the waste products building up in the legs
• Minor injuries to the area may bleed more than normal and/or take a long time to heal
• Rarely, there is a large amount of bleeding from a ruptured vein
• In some people the skin above the ankle may shrink because the fat underneath the skin becomes hard.
• Restless Leg Syndrome.
• They often itch, and scratching them can cause ulcers.
• Besides cosmetic problems, varicose veins are often painful, especially when standing or walking.

Varicose vein treatment can improve the appearance of your legs, and address any further incompetent veins before they become a problem. 

Sclerotherapy is a medical procedure used to treat varicose veins and "spider veins."  It involves an injection of a solution (e.g.Aethoxysklerol) directly into the varicose vein.

The solution irritates the lining of the vessel, causing it to swell and stick together, and the blood to clot.

Sclerotherapy is a well-proven procedure that has been in use since the 1930's to treat varicose veins.

Foam sclerotherapy uses a standard sclerosant and mixes it with air or carbon dioxide in various ratios to create a foam.  This foam is then injected into the veins.  This technique potentiates the effect of the sclerosant,  especially in larger veins.

Duration and cost of treatment can vary depending on the area of your legs you wish to treat, and the severity of any vein formations.

The team at SydneyWest Aesthetics will be able to provide a much firmer guideline after your initial consultation.

Possible complications of injection sclerotherapy

• For the vast majority of patients sclerotherapy is very effective and most patients experience minimal discomfort, but it is not completely pain free and occasionally the thrombosed veins can be moderately uncomfortable. Following sclerotherapy for larger veins they become very hard and lumpy but this will gradually resolve and the veins disappear. Following microinjections the spider veins can initially look a little worse as congealed blood in the veins looks darker but this also will resolve. Over the first few weeks following the injection, any slight discomfort, hardness or tenderness at the injection site(s) should gradually subside.
• Brown staining of the skin around the site of the injection and along the line of the treated vein is quite a common event. Most patients experience complete or near complete resolution but this can take up to 12 months after the injections.
• A persistent hard "cord" in the line of the vein - this usually occurs after injecting bigger varicose veins and means a small amount of blood has clotted in the vein.  It is not dangerous and will resolve.
• Slight blistering and occasionally ulceration of the skin at the injection site - this is rare but usually means the fluid has been injected around the vein rather than into the vein.  It is much more likely to occur when using higher concentrations of sclerosant.
• Bruising - this is a common complication but will resolve completely often within one to two weeks.
• Allergy - this is a rare complication.
• Visual disturbance - this is a rare complication (about 1 in 100 or 1%) for patients undergoing foam sclerotherapy. Patients experience a sparkling appearance in their vision which resolves after about 15 minutes.
• Rare instances of transient stroke from foam sclerotherapy has been reported (Forlee MV et al 2006).  This is thought to be due to the foam bubbles travelling in the blood vessels to the brain.  This is more likely to happen when large volumes are injected.
• Deep venous thrombosis - although the risk of this is low it does occasionally occur.  It may be related to the volume of sclerosant, particularly foam, that is injected.  Larger volumes of foam injected close to the deeper veins may present more risk.
• The injection may fail to obliterate the vein.

Lasers are a very effective treatment for the appearance of unsightly veins on your legs, and work by heating the wall of a vein until it collapses, which then seals it shut.

At this point, the blood supply to the vein is then completely cut off, which causes it to die over a period of several months.

The tissue that once made up the vein is reabsorbed into the body. 

Most patients experience considerable improvement after 2 to 3 treatments, with 3-6 weekly intervals, depending on the severity of skin condition and level of treatment. 

At SydneyWest Aesthetics, our laser treatments are most effective on spider veins and smaller varicose veins.

Laser Leg Vein Removal brochure

(The Gemini Laser was originally manufactured by Laserscope, then sold to Iridex and is now owned by Cutera. This brochure was produced by Iridex for the Gemini Laser at the time it was acquired.)