Sclerotherapy is a highly effective and minimally-invasive procedure offered at the Vein Center at Johns Creek to treat various venous conditions, particularly spider veins and varicose veins. This procedure involves injecting a solution, known as a sclerosant, directly into the affected veins.

Generally speaking, here's how sclerotherapy works:

• Before undergoing sclerotherapy, your vein specialist will perform a thorough evaluation to determine if you're a suitable candidate for the procedure. This evaluation may include an ultrasound examination to assess the underlying cause of your venous condition.
• Prior to the procedure, the treatment area is cleansed, and you may be asked to wear comfortable clothing that allows easy access to the veins being treated.
• Using a fine needle, the sclerosant solution is injected into the targeted veins. The solution irritates the lining of the vein, causing it to collapse and stick together. Over time, the body naturally absorbs the collapsed vein.
• After the sclerotherapy injection, your vein specialist may apply compression or use compression stockings to help facilitate the closure of the treated veins and prevent blood from flowing back into them.

At the Vein Center at Johns Creek, we offer several options for sclerotherapy that can help you achieve better vascular health. Some types of sclerotherapy we offer include:

• Sclerosing Injections: Eligible patients are given multiple sclerosing injections (dilute sclerosant) that shrink and dissolve spider veins over a period of time by closing the “feeder veins.” Most patients require up to two treatment sessions separated by several weeks to significantly improve the appearance of leg veins and prevent recurrence in a treated area.
• Microfoam Sclerosing with Ultrasound Guidance: Patients with large spider and varicose veins (including the great and small saphenous veins) can greatly benefit from the microfoam sclerosing procedure. During the procedure, ultrasound is used to visualize underlying veins so a physician can deliver the injections using a pair of syringes or medical pumps – one with sclerosant (sodium tetradecyl sulfate or polidocanol), and the other with gas (carbon dioxide) thus creating a foam. This process increases the surface area of the drug and is ideal for longer and larger veins.