How Often Should You Get Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy and Spider Veins

Sclerotherapy is a widely recognized medical procedure used to treat spider veins, a common vascular condition characterized by small, red, blue, or purple web-like veins that usually appear on the legs and face. These veins, although generally harmless, can cause aesthetic concerns. At Denver Vein Center, we offer cosmetic sclerotherapy to alleviate these spider veins.

How Often Should You Get Sclerotherapy?

The frequency of sclerotherapy treatments largely depends on the severity and number of spider veins you have. Each sclerotherapy session is typically limited by the volume of sclerosant that can be injected. Although the exact concentration of the sclerosant used may vary patient to patient, 10 mL of liquid sclerosant serves as a good general guideline for the amount that can be used in a single session. At Denver Vein Center, we use diluted Asclera (polidocanol) as the sclerosant of choice and we almost never exceed the safety limit.

As a rule-of-thumb, each area of spider veins typically require 1-3 sessions of sclerotherapy. We space out the sessions 6-8 weeks apart.

Monitoring and follow-up appointments are essential to assess how well the veins respond to treatment. Because the mechanism of sclerotherapy is to induce inflammation of the spider veins, the veins will likely look worse before they look better. If you have a special occasion, it is recommended to get sclerotherapy at least 3 months prior to your event to ensure adequate recovery.

Recurrence rate of spider veins varies widely among patients. It is not uncommon for new spider veins to form after several years. However, these recurrence tend to be much smaller and milder compared to pre-treatment. Overall, maintaining realistic expectations and understanding that multiple treatments may be necessary is vital in the sclerotherapy process.

Ruling Out Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI)

Before undergoing cosmetic sclerotherapy for spider veins, it is essential to rule out varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). CVI is a condition where the veins struggle to return blood back to the heart, leading to symptoms such as swelling, pain, and skin changes.

Patients experiencing signs of CVI will benefit from medical evaluation and comprehensive ultrasound exam. At Denver Vein Center, we routinely screen patients for CVI and direct patients to the appropriate care pathway. You never have to worry about paying out-of-pocket for unqualified sclerotherapy treatment.