the art of tone

Before and After photos

Video of procedure (2MB Windows Media)

Online consultation

Who is a good candidate for sclerotherapy?

If you are in generally good health and not taking daily aspirin (ASA) or blood thinners then you are a good candidate for sclerotherapy at our facility.  Our clinic does not perform sclerotherapy on diabetic patients or any patient with complex medical conditions and we will be happy to refer you to a specialist in these cases.

What veins will not be injected?

The Greater Saphenous Vein (runs up the inside of each leg from in front of the inner ankle to above the knee) is generally avoided.  This vein is used in coronary artery bypass graft surgery so it's kind of important that you keep it in case you need it!  Further, for your safety, we do not inject above the "skirt" line or below the "sock" line.  These cases are referred to local surgeons or vascular specialists. 

Will I have to wear compression stockings?

Yes.  It is recommended that immediately following a sclerotherapy session, compression stockings be used continuously for a period of at least 14 days.  This prevents backflow of blood into the treated vessels.

What are the possible complications?

Fortunately, and in the hands of skilled, trained physicians, sclerotherapy is a safe and well tolerated procedure.  Complications are rare and can include the following:

• Venous thromboembolism - clotting of blood in deeper veins (very rare)

• Discoloration - hemosiderin/brown pigmentation can occur and while most will resolve, it is sometimes permanent.

• Skin necrosis - approximately 0.2% to 1.2% of injections.  If solution is injected outside the vein skin breakdown can occur forming a painful ulcer.  This is sometimes unavoidable.  This can take several weeks to heal and can result in scarring.  You will know if this has occurred generally if you experience immediate severe pain with onset of injection.  Physicians at the Harris Clinic utilize a unique vein-illuminating light and special injection techniques to prevent inadvertent extra vascular injection.

• Telangiectatic matting, or the development of tiny red vessels, is unpredictable and usually must be treated with repeat sclerotherapy or laser.

Will the veins come back?

The veins that are treated will be permanently damaged and will not come back.  However, depending on lifestyle and occupation, you may develop new areas of vein clusters (purple/red or blue) which will require further sessions.

What kind of follow up is required?

Two weeks after a sclerotherapy session it is critical that you return to the clinic for follow up with our physicians.  This is important to ensure that any trapped blood is evacuated from the veins thereby preventing brown staining/permanent pigmentation.

How much does sclerotherapy cost?

These sessions are billed by each 15 minute unit of time.  The Harris Clinic charges $150 per 15 minutes.  This includes as many syringes as are safely required in the given time frame.  Please come in for a complimentary consultation to get a more accurate estimate of the number of sessions and time required.