Varicose Veins and Spider Veins- Injection Sclerotherapy in Norwalk, Connecticut

Unsightly veins on the thighs and the lower legs consist of three different types: varicose veins, venectasia and spider veins. Injection therapy treatments can be very effective but new vessels will continue to develop and regular follow-up is required to maintain the best result.

Varicose Veins

These are bluish, tortuous and bulge when standing and collapse flat when the leg is horizontal or elevated. They may extend from the groin to the inside of the ankle and from the back of the knee into the calf. Varicose veins are caused by the loss of function of valves in the veins which are stretched apart and no longer prevent the blood in the veins flowing backwards towards the feet when standing. These kinds of veins often follow pregnancy. However, not every pregnant patient develops varicose veins. There has to be a genetic predisposition to them which is triggered by pregnancy, weight gain or ageing.

Venectasia

These are bluish veins coursing below the skin. They do not bulge but they are still unsightly.

Treatment: Injection sclerotherapy is effective in treating these.

Spider veins (telangiectasia) and matting

As the name describes these consist of long spidery vessels that may either be blue or pink. They extend from a feeding vessel. They are common throughout the leg but most often on the outer thigh knee, calf and ankles. Most are about 0.5 mm wide, but another variant calling ‘matting’ has even smaller vessels that can be hard to inject.

Treatment: Injection sclerotherapy is performed with a 30-gauge needle or smaller. Magnification and a surgical light are required to inject spider vessels. Elastic compression stockings are worn after treatments. There is no limitation on walking.

Post-treatment care

Patients are checked at one week and at one month to evaluate any injections sites. Most patients require a second treatment to treat spider veins that have either failed to respond or are now more visible after eradicating some of the more prominent vessels. After one month, some of the veins that have been successfully treated will appear as dark blue streaks representing tiny blood clots within the veins. This is not the same as a deep vein thrombosis and will not increase the risk of blood clots in the deep veins of the legs. The blood can be evacuated from these veins, using a small needle, to relieve any discomfort, speed up healing and prevent skin pigmentation caused by blood breakdown products.