Get Rid of Unsightly Varicose Veins Before Summer with Sclerotherapy

Many people find that they were more eager to roll out their summer wardrobes in their youth when the weather warmed up. Age-related body changes are a fact of life, and while you’ll still want to dress appropriately for the Georgia heat, you might be more likely to reach for capris or long pants if you see bulging purple, blue, or red veins on your legs. 

Varicose veins can show up on various parts of your body but are most common on your legs. The veins within your legs must work against gravity to carry blood back up to your heart. They do this using a series of valves that open and close to drive blood upward. When a valve weakens, it fails to do its job causing blood to flow back downward or pool in place. Pooling blood expands the walls of those veins, causing varicose veins to expand and bulge outward. 

Though you may not like how your varicose veins look, the good news is that most of them don’t indicate any deeper health concerns. Some people experience pain and discomfort from varicose veins. They can also increase your risk of leg ulcers if you’re not careful. But if you only want to treat them for cosmetic reasons, that’s OK too. 

Nnaemeka Umerah, MD, and Anayo Umerah, MD, specialize in treating varicose veins with sclerotherapy at Women’s Health Institute in Macon and Warner Robins, Georgia. Schedule your appointment just in time for summer so you can fully enjoy your time in the sunshine. 

How sclerotherapy works

Sclerotherapy is an injectable treatment for the bulging veins that show up on your legs. During the procedure, your provider injects a chemical solution called a sclerosant directly into the vein. The solution irritates the vein’s inner walls, which causes them to swell. Soon they swell enough to stick together, and blood can no longer flow through that vein. 

As blood reroutes through other vessels in the area, you can see the varicose vein get smaller, fade, and eventually disappear from sight. It takes just a few weeks for this to happen with minimal aftercare: Our team advises you to avoid direct sun exposure, keep the injection site clean, and avoid baths and saunas for the first two days after treatment. 

Your provider might decide to use ultrasound guidance to be sure they inject the sclerosant into the correct vessel. 

How it compares

Sclerotherapy isn’t the only treatment for varicose veins, but our team frequently directs patients to it because of its distinct advantages. 

You might prefer sclerotherapy over other treatments for varicose veins because it:

• Doesn’t involve surgery
• Offers quick results
• Permanently makes the targeted vein disappear in most cases
• Doesn’t require anesthesia

If you’re not a candidate for sclerotherapy, or if it’s just not the right choice for your case, you can also close varicose veins with radiofrequency ablation or vein ligation. Surgical phlebectomy removes the entire varicose vein. 

Sclerotherapy is typically the go-to solution for smaller varicose veins, but large ones may require a more invasive route. 

Getting ready for your procedure

Our team welcomes you to Women’s Health Institute for a detailed treatment consultation. During this visit, our team examines your varicose vein or veins and begins to plan your treatment. They advise you to avoid medications that increase bleeding, like aspirin and certain antibiotics, ahead of your treatment. 

Book your consultation for sclerotherapy today. Call the nearest Women’s Health Institute office or use our convenient online scheduling tool any time.