April 03, 2022

What to Expect After Sclerotherapy

Redness

The sclerotherapy medication is irritating and is designed to be that way. It is normal to get hive-like swelling in the area around the injections sites. These hives usually clear within hours and are much less irritating as soon as your compression socks are on. Treated veins close to the surface of your skin also will get red. This clears with time but can take several weeks.

Lumpy sore veins

Sclerotherapy clots the vein and this causes lumps. These lumps can be tender and can get red. They also can appear out of nowhere even several weeks after a sclerotherapy session. The lumps generally resolve over weeks to months. If they are very uncomfortable or the skin over the lump swells, turns black or gets shiny draining the lump can be necessary.

Bruising

Some of your injection sites will develop bruising. This is normal and does not indicate a problem. It will be more intense and the bruises bigger if you are taking aspirin or ibuprofen or some other blood thinner. Bruising should generally clear in 2-3 weeks or less.

Swelling

Swelling after cosmetic sclerotherapy should resolve quickly. The swelling also should be around the immediate area of the treated veins. Swelling that involves the entire foot, calf or ankle is not normal and could indicate a deep blood clot. Deep clots are dangerous and should be checked by a Doctor.

Staining

Staining after cosmetic sclerotherapy should resolve over time. Minor staining in very surface veins is normal also should be around the immediate area of the treated veins. Staining that lasts longer is more common in individuals with heavier pigmented skin. Unfortunately there is no good treatment for staining after sclerotherapy but most cases do get better with time. Again avoiding sun exposure especially soon after sclerotherapy can minimize this problem.

Some veins will remain

Sclerotherapy for cosmetic purposes is very effective, in some cases 80% of the vessels treated will go away. Not all the treated vessels will go away and follow up sessions are necessary for further clearing of any unwanted veins.

Numb spots

Numbness after cosmetic sclerotherapy should be rare and is likely due to the needle poke bruising or cutting small nerves in the skin. This type of numbness should be in the area just at the treated vein or below it. When the numbness resolves, the nerves get very irritable just before they recover completely.

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