Using sclerotherapy, doctors can eliminate the spider veins and varicose veins which mar the feet, legs, ankles and thighs. Problem veins on the hands and face may also be treated successfully with sclerotherapy, and sclerotherapy can be used to treat almost everyone. Providers do suggest that pregnant and nursing women postpone treatment until the babies are weaned, but there are few patients who cannot benefit from sclerotherapy treatment.

Recovery after sclerotherapy depends on the size and number of the veins that receive treatment. Some patients experience soreness along the treated area for several days while others have tenderness for weeks. Depending on where the treated veins are located on the body, doctors may ask that compression bandages or garments be used for a few days. Sclerotherapy usually leaves some light swelling and bruising in the treated area which may be red for a time. Once these after effects subside, the vein will continually grow smaller as blood can no longer feed into it. Eventually, it will disintegrate completely and will not return although this process may take several months.

Although sclerotherapy does not prevent the formation of new spider veins or varicose veins, it does permanently eliminate those that have been treated. Most sclerotherapy procedures take fewer than thirty minutes and can be performed in the office of the provider. If more than one sclerotherapy treatment session is needed to get the desired results, these are scheduled about four weeks apart. Very few side effects have been associated with sclerotherapy treatments, but freckling around the treatment area has been reported by a few patients. This is rare, however, and most patients report extreme satisfaction with the results of this non-surgical treatment for unattractive or painful veins.