What exactly happens during sclerotherapy?

Sclerotherapy of varicose veins is performed as an outpatient (ambulatory) procedure; it does not require anaesthesia as it is virtually painless. The doctor injects a medicinal product (sclerosant) in the form of a liquid or foam directly into the diseased vein segment through a fine needle. This procedure is usually not painful: you will feel only a slight prick from the injection needle. Inside the varicose vein, the sclerosant reacts with the vein wall. Natural processes in the body cause the vein walls to stick together and close off the vein. With time, the body gradually converts the diseased vein into connective tissue and it disappears. The functional results of sclerotherapy are thus equivalent to the surgical removal of varicose veins.

The veins treated in this way are superficial veins that are not essential for transporting blood back to the heart. The blood still flows back to the heart through the deep vein system without any problem.

Depending on the size and extent of the varicose veins to be treated, you may need to have more than one treatment session for optimal treatment results.

Sclerotherapy does not involve any incisions, which means no resultant pain and none of the scars that are inevitably part of varicose vein surgery.