Sclerotherapy Q & A
What is sclerotherapy?
Sclerotherapy is a treatment designed to do two things. First, it reroutes blood that flows through gnarled veins into healthy veins. Secondly, it eliminates the appearance of visible veins on the surface of the skin.
What’s more, the SINY® Dermatology team does all of this without the need for a single incision. Sclerotherapy is an injection-based treatment. By injecting a specially formulated solution into targeted veins, SINY® Dermatology effectively treats that vein.
The sclerotherapy solution irritates the lining of the vein into which it’s injected, causing the vein to collapse. The body then redirects blood flow to other healthy veins and, over time, the treated vein turns into scar tissue.
Your body absorbs that scar tissue and, once absorption is complete, you no longer see the vein on the surface of your skin because it no longer exists.
Is sclerotherapy right for me?
Sclerotherapy is ideal for people who have spider veins or varicose veins they no longer want to see.
Sclerotherapy for spider veins
Spider veins are small, webbing veins — usually purple, blue, or red — that create a network visible on the surface of the skin.
While spider veins generally don’t pose any health threat, they mar the appearance of your skin. Spider veins in the face and legs can leave you looking weathered.
Sclerotherapy is an ideal minimally invasive treatment if you want to improve the appearance of your skin without surgery while rerouting your blood flow to other, healthy veins.
Sclerotherapy for varicose veins
Sclerotherapy is also an effective treatment for some types of varicose veins. These are veins that are enlarged and gnarled and may bulge out from under the skin.
The twisting of a varicose vein prevents blood from flowing normally through the vein. This can result in cramping, swelling, or other discomforts in the area.
Most varicose veins can be treated with sclerotherapy, but larger veins may need a more involved procedure for full removal from the body.
What should I expect during and after sclerotherapy?
Sclerotherapy is a quick, effective treatment. The procedure itself takes 30 minutes at most.
Afterwards, the SINY® Dermatology team may recommend that you wear compression stockings for a set amount of time (usually a few weeks) to support your healing.
For more information or to book an appointment, call 800-778-3090 or visit sinyderm.com.
We provide the full spectrum of medical, cosmetic, and laser dermatology at all six of our offices in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Park Slope, Brooklyn, the West Village, and the Upper East Side in Manhattan, Forest Hills, Queens, and Southold on Long Island.