Sclerotherapy is a safe, proven, and effective non-surgical treatment for veins of all sizes (both spider veins and varicose veins) that can be performed in the office.

A tiny needle is used to introduce a sclerosing solution into the target vein in order to shut it down. The sclerosing agent may be a saline solution or mild detergent.

These solutions do two things. First, it displaces the blood in the vein causing the vein to immediately fade or appear lighter in color. Second, the solution irritates the vein lining causing the vein walls to adhere together, preventing the vein from filling with blood again.

The blood is then redirected to healthier veins and generally circulation improves. Typically, a few weeks after treatment, the treated vein is absorbed by the body and disappears.

Aspects of sclerotherapy include:

• It is performed in the office during a routine office visit at one of our locations in Durham or Raleigh, North Carolina.
• No anesthesia is necessary.
• It is usually painless, however some patients may experience discomfort from the needle prick (like a mosquito bite) or a few seconds of mild burning from the solution.
• There is no pre-treatment preparation.
• Patients can resume normal activity after leaving the office.
• There is no post-treatment scarring.
• It is an effective treatment for both spider veins and varicose veins.
• Most patients require at least two sessions of sclerotherapy. The greater the number of veins present, the more sessions are required to achieve resolution. In most cases a series of treatment sessions will be required to effectively treat your veins.

What to Expect After Treatment

• With smaller veins, a small piece of gauze will be taped over each injected vein and should remain for 24 hours after treatment.
• If larger veins are treated, we may recommend leg elevation for a few minutes or a compression stocking for a short period of time after treatment.
• You may notice slight tenderness for a few days in the treated vein after treatment.
• Temporary bruising around the treated area may occur; the length of time that it takes for this to resolve depends on the size of the vein treated, with larger veins taking longer to disappear.
• Once a varicose vein is effectively treated, it will not come back. However, nothing can prevent new spider or varicose veins may from occurring. If varicose veins do reoccur, they may be treated six to 12 months later in the same manner that the original ones were treated. There is no limit to the number of treatments that can be done.

Read more about how to prepare for and what to expect after sclerotherapy.

Physician Assistant

• Gage, Shawn

Physicians

Physicians offering this service include:

• Lawson, Jeffrey H.
  • Surgery / Vascular
  • Pathology
• Mureebe, Leila
  • Surgery / Vascular
• Shortell, Cynthia E.K.
  • Surgery / Vascular
  • Radiology
• Watters, Christopher R.
  • Surgery / General and Advanced GI

Locations

This service is available at:

• Duke Aesthetic Center
  3475 Erwin Road, Durham, NC 27705
• Duke General Surgery of Raleigh at Cedarhurst Drive
  1212 Cedarhurst Drive, Suite 102, Raleigh, NC 27609