Preparation and aftercare for your Sclerotherapy treatment

Having Sclerotherapy treatment with Dr Melanie Sung? Follow her recommendation and tips for preparing for your treatment with us. Plus how to care for leg post treatment for the best results post treatment.

 

PREPARATION

• Prior to your treatment, you will first see our sonographer who will carefully mark out the areas to be treated using ultrasound, and you will also see our nurse who will take measurement of your legs to determine the size of your medical grade compression stocking
• Avoid taking iron supplement or blood thinner two weeks before your treatment
• Shower and remove any hair on the operative leg from ankle to around 3 finger widths into pubic hair the night before
• Bring your prescribed thigh high compression stocking to be put on after the procedure. If we order one for you, it will be here ready to be given to wear afterwards

 

DURING PROCEDURE

• Topical numbing cream is often applied to minimise discomfort during injection
• The sclerosant is mixed with air through a special filter, which creates a fine foam making the solution more effective
• An ultrasound is used to visualize the problem veins and guide the needle into the vein, so the injections are done very accurately
• Each injection delivers around 0.1 to 0.4mL of the sclerosant and is injected at an interval of 2-3cm until the entire vein has been treated
• The duration of treatment is usually less than 30 minutes

AFTERCARE

• Wear compression stocking 24 hours a day for 7 days. This step is extremely important. Your compression stocking will help reduce bruises, swelling, pain and reduce DVT
• Your stocking should be worn to bed. If, however, you experience pain in the foot or heel at night, especially if this pain wakes you up, you MUST remove the stocking while laying down in bed and put it back on again in the morning BEFORE you get up
• Work – you can return to work as soon as you feel able to do so
• You should walk a minimum of 30 minutes each day for 2 weeks after treatment
• Avoid prolonged standing or sitting. If sitting, place the legs up and elevate them where possible.
• Avoid intense physical activities and any heavy lifting for the first 4 days.

What do expect post treatment?

Following the procedure, it is normal to expect some mild discomfort, mild swelling and bruising. Your skin may be tender to touch, gentle walking and wearing prescribed compression stocking will help manage and lessen the discomfort. Your legs may ache for a few days, and any trapped blood will need to be removed.

Varicose veins will generally disappear over 6-12 weeks. The spider vein will not disappear completely but should improve by about 60-80% or more depending on the number of treatments. If you want more resolution, then more treatments will be necessary. Optimal results can generally be seen around the 3-month mark.