Microsclerotherapy
What is Microsclerotherapy?
Microsclerotherapy is the Injection of Leg Spider Veins with a prescription medicine called a sclerosant .
Intended Benefits:
To reduce the appearance of thread veins by Microsclerotherapy (the injection of a prescription medicine called Fibrovein into the thread veins). The treatment cannot guarantee a specific cosmetic outcome but, after 3 treatment sessions separated by 6 to 12 weeks, there is a 90% chance that the treated areas will improve in appearance. There are no health benefits to be gained from this treatment and that any gains are limited to a proposed improvement in the appearance of the thread veins. Dr Gajraj and his team mitigate the risks of DVT by asking their patients to keep well hydrated, walk regularly to to perform calf exercises.
Serious or frequently occurring risks:
Serious complications such as Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT or clots), allergic reactions or infection are very rare (very much less than 1 in a 100 risk).
Some people experience pain or a “burning sensation” at the injection sites and some patients experience restlessness in their legs during the first few nights. For a month or so the veins may appear more prominent and the injection sites may occasionally itch.
Complications following Microsclerotherapy are very rare, but the solution (called a Sclerosant) can sometimes escape from the veins and cause inflammation in the skin surrounding the area.
There is also a small risk of the development of tiny ulcers, which may leave a pink or white scar on healing. After treatment there may be persistent veins which are resistant to injections.
The treatment may cause brown discolouration (lasting up to 3 years) and, very rarely, the thread veins may be worse or new broken veins may appear. Occasionally vision may be temporarily disturbed for a few minutes or hours after Microsclerotherapy.
However, numbness and brown discolouration may be permanent and the treatment may cause the appearance of more spider veins. In about 1-2% of cases, the treated areas may look worse.
In addition, the treatment may cause migraines. As the years pass, more veins may develop.
All clinical operations and procedures carry the risk of unsuccessful results, complications, injury or even death from both known and unforeseen consequences.
If you should experience significant complications it may require your care to be transferred to the National Health Service. Due to the prevalence of COVID-19, Dr Gajra and his team at The VeinCare Centre have taken recommended steps to reduce the risk to both staff and patients. However there may be some residual risk remaining of contracting COVID-19 while at the clinic
Treatment Day
On the day of your procedure:
Please arrive promptly, be aware of traffic conditons and plan your journey carefully.
It is better to arrive early rather than late. There is plenty of car parking at The Clinic, which is situated about six miles south of Yeovil, just off the A37 Yeovil to Dorchester road, at Holt Mill.
Dr Gajraj will confirm your consent to treatment, answer any questions that your may have and then he will mark your veins with a felt pen. He may re-scan your legs and take clinical photographs.
What happens after treatment?
Aftercare Advice
There is not a perfect treatment for blue veins, thread veins and spider veins that can guarantee to remove every single vein and give you blemish-free legs. Despite successful treatment of the veins that you have now, it is still possible that you may develop more veins as the years pass, though these recurrent veins tend to be minor and much less noticeable.
After treatment by injection, the veins may look worse before they look better. They may become lumpy and tender as part of the healing process, and this is helped by rubbing the area with an anti-inflammatory such as Ibuprofen gel.
About 10% of people develop a brown mark on the skin overlying the vein after sclerotherapy. This discolouration mostly fades by 6 months but may take 2 to 3 years to disappear completely. Serious side effects after sclerotherapy are extremely rare indeed.
After 3 treatments, the majority of people (approximately 90%) are pleased or very pleased with the results. Approximately 5% are disappointed because they do not achieve the degree of fading desired.
Migraine sufferers may react to the injections with a migraine so we recommend you bring your usual migraine medication with you. If you do not get a migraine after the first treatment, you are unlikely to suffer one at subsequent appointments.
Many people ask about flying after their vein treatment often because they are concerned about deep vein thrombosis. Fortunately, complications after Microsclerotherapy are very rare. However, long-haul flights are a known risk factor and it is a wise precaution to avoid taking a long flight for a month afterwards, although there is no strong evidence in the medical literature to back up this recommendation.
It will also be easier for The VeinCare Centre to offer support if required if you remain closer to home in the first few weeks after treatment.
Dr Gajraj does not advise the routine wearing of medical compression after Microsclerotherapy. However, medical compression does have a number of positive benefits for people who have a wide range of leg vein conditions. The wearing of compression hosiery in the longer term is down to the individual. Each person is different and some people find wearing compression very difficult to tolerate. However, if your legs feel more comfortable in compression hosiery, you may wish to wear compression long term. Visit https://www.daylong.co.uk/ for more information.
What To Do If You Are Worried
Tenderness and lumpy areas along the course of the treated vein are quite normal. You may also experience tingling, stinging or irritation along the course of the veins treated for about a week. Continue to rub in Ibuprofen gel to the areas causing you concern.
Serious complications are very rare indeed. However, if any areas become hot or red, generally swollen (particularly in the calf) or if you develop a fever and feel unwell, please make contact with The VeinCare Centre as soon as possible.
If you develop chest pains or shortness of breath, call 999 or go straight to your local hospital.
Members of The VeinCare Centre team may not be available out of normal office hours, however we will always do our best to help you if at all possible. If you have concerns and we cannot be contacted, please use the NHS Out of Hours service.
Our contact number is 01935 873951