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Could Sclerotherapy damage other veins before it becomes inactive?

How long does Sclerotherapy take before it becomes inactive? and could Sclerotherapy damage other veins before it becomes inactive? Thank You

Doctor Answers 3

Sclerotherapy side effects

Thank you for your question. Experience dictates how much and what type of sclerosant is injected based on what you see visually or under ultrasound guidance and using such experience, the incidence of DVT is very very small. 

Could Sclerotherapy damage other veins before it becomes inactive?

Thank you for your question. This all depends on where the product is injected. If the product is in the correct vein, that vein will be damaged, and other veins as long as there is adequate product. This is where the skill of the practitioner is essential. Typically, the Dermatologists do the most, and they are usually the most skilled, but not always. Some vascular surgeons and Plastic surgeons are also very skilled as well. I hope this helps.

Vivek Bansal, MD
Danville Plastic Surgeon
5.0 out of 5 stars 13 reviews

Sclerotherapy can damage other veins.

Sclerotherapy involves injecting an irritating solution into a vein to push the blood out of the vein and irritate the vein walls causing them to stick together so that the vein will ultimately dissolve. The reaction is immediate and the sclerotherapy solution doesn't linger in the body but dissolves certainly within an hour. The potential problem with any sclerotherapy solution is that it can pass into other veins and has the potential to cause clotting (DVT) or superficial phlebitis if it should get into larger veins. Fortunately, this is a rare occurrence. Foam sclerotherapy has other potential problems as the bubbles can pass through the circulation to cause other symptoms such as temporary blurry vision and headaches. Again these are rare events. Many times the untoward events are directly related to the experience of the injector.

John Landi, MD
Naples General Surgeon
5.0 out of 5 stars 4 reviews
