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Results
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you were treated for small varicose veins or spider veins, you can usually expect to see definitive results in three to six weeks. Larger veins may require three to four months. Treated veins generally don't come back, but new veins may appear.
Your doctor will likely schedule a follow-up visit about a month after the procedure to check the procedure's success and decide whether further sessions are needed. Generally, you need to wait four to six weeks before undergoing another sclerotherapy session.
Studies of sclerotherapy as a treatment for varicose and spider veins indicate that it has an overall success rate of 50 to 80 percent in eliminating treated veins.
- Sclerotherapy of varicose veins and spider veins. Radiological Society of North America. www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=sclerotherapy. Accessed Nov. 13, 2012.
- Varicose veins and spider veins fact sheet. National Women's Health Information Center. http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/varicose-spider-veins.cfm. Accessed Nov. 13, 2012.
- Gloviczki P, et al. The care of patients with varicose veins and associated chronic venous diseases: Clinical practice guidelines of the Society for Vascular Surgery and the American Venous Forum. Journal of Vascular Surgery. 2011;53(5):2S.
- Murad MH, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the treatments of varicose veins. Journal of Vascular Surgery. 2011;53(5):49S.
- Greenberg DL, et al. Liquid and foam sclerotherapy techniques for lower extremity vein ablation. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Nov. 13, 2012.
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