When performed properly by a well-trained and experienced specialist, sclerotherapy is one of the safest and most effective medical treatments known today.  There are usually no major side effects associated with the body itself.  However, you may get some local nuisance side effects.  These local side effects are unpredictable for the most part, but are also not dangerous and usually temporary.  They are more bothersome than anything else.

Bruising/discoloration – Just like any other bruise you may have had from bumping your leg against a table edge or an open dishwasher door.  This will fade in a few days.

Inflammation– You may get some slight inflammation in the form of mild tenderness and/or slight swelling in treated veins.  This may last a few days.  When patients have told me that they have some discomfort I have offered Motrin^®, Advil^®, or some other anti-inflammatory to resolve it quickly, but most patients decline because the inflammation is so mild.

Trapped blood - Trapped blood is an uncommon problem that occurs when a little blood gets stuck in a closed section of the treated vein.  When both ends of the vein close down and a small amount of blood gets stuck inside the middle of the vein you may feel a small tender lump or bump just under the skin.  This is not dangerous and will resolve by itself in a few weeks or months; sometimes we use a tiny needle to remove the trapped blood to speed up the healing in our practice.  This is more of an issue with large varicose veins.  Activity and prescription strength support hose can reduce the incidence of this side effect and speed up its healing.

Allergic Reaction - There is a very remote possibility of an allergic reaction to the medicine.  Our medicines have an extremely low allergenicity in the general population.  Temporary allergic reactions can include hives, tingling, flushing, or a brief feeling of shortness of breath.  If you have a reaction the doctor can treat you for the allergy and switch to a different medicine for your vein treatments.

Hyperpigmentation - Often described as “staining”, it is usually caused by iron from your own blood being deposited in the skin. It almost always fades away with time, but may take a few months to fade.  Activity and prescription strength support hose can reduce the incidence of this side effect and speed up its healing.  This is usually more of an issue in patients from Latin, African-America, Middle Eastern, or Asian backgrounds.  Although we have never encountered permanent staining in our practice, we have seen many patients around the country who have had staining last for many years or permanently.  This is because an inexperienced clinician used medicine that was too strong for the vein being treated.

Telangiectatic Matting - This is a blush or flush that may occur in an area after treatment.  Most matting (90%) fades away over 2 months.  About 10% of the time it can persist.  This becomes a very challenging and difficult situation for a doctor to clear up.  Activity and prescription strength support hose can reduce the incidence of this side effect and speed up its healing.

Ulcers – An ulcer is a small sore caused by medicine irritating the skin. This is a rare problem; in our practice it occurs about 3% or less of the time, but it can occur with any injection. It will heal up completely, but sometimes it may leave a small freckle scar.  Generally, this will not be noticeable on normal skin.

Blood Clots – We know from studies that surgical vein treatments such as stripping can cause a real risk of developing blood clots.  Injection sclerotherapy has never been proven to cause blood clots, but theoretically there may be a risk of getting blood clots.  Based on our clinical expertise we may act to reduce this possibility by having our patients wear compression hose that are designed to prevent blood clots. We also keep patients active, thereby keeping blood flowing naturally and freely in the legs.