Mapperley Park Clinic

What is Sclerotherapy?

Sclerotherapy involves the use of a tiny needle to flush a small amount of a sclerosing agent, in this case Aethoxysclerol, into the vein. Aethoxysclerol causes the blood vessel walls to stick together so that blood can no longer flow. The redundant vessels are then slowly removed by the bodies own repair mechanisms.

You may feel a very slight pricking sensation as the injections are being performed. After the first day of treatment the skin around the vein is a little pink and blotchy. Occasionally people with more sensitive skin see more pinkness or reaction around the vein. Usually a bruise is noticeable at the treated site. This usually disappears after a couple of weeks.

Sclerotherapy is a safe treatment that has been in use for many years now and, when the treatment is performed properly and the treatment area is correctly managed after treatment, complications are rare. However, there is always still a risk of complications; these include:

Temporary pigmentation -a result of staining caused by small amounts of haemociderin (an iron containing compound found in blood) just under the skin surface. These normally fade very quickly but can take months to disappear.

Telangiectatic matting - very fine small blushes of capillaries left as clusters of larger thread veins disappear. These veins may be too small to accept the needle; in many cases, the client will not require further treatment for these, much less obvious vessels; where further treatment is required, the vascular laser will usually be effective. Matting is associated with large volumes of sclerosant injected at speed, therefore we allow thirty minutes of injection time and use only small quantities of the solution with each injection.

Skin Ulcers - a shallow ulcer can occur at the site of injection. this is very unusual and heals to leave a small white area of skin. Treatment around the ankles carries the highest risks of ulceraton, so particular care is ALWAYS taken when injecting this site.

Allergic reactions - severe allergic reactions to the injections are very unlikely; we choose aethoxysclerol because of its very low incidence rate. There has only ever been one recorded incident of allergic reaction to aethoxysclerol and this was not at our clinic, however there is still a risk, however small. If an allergic reaction were to happen, it would take place during treatment. All treating staff have been trained to deal with allergic reactions, the treatment would be immediately stopped and the appropriate action would be taken.