Microsclerotherapy for Leg Spider Veins – Auckland NZ

Microsclerotherapy is the injection of a medicine called a sclerosant using a very fine needle into small reticular veins (greenish-blue) and spider veins on the legs. It is often preceded by ultrasound guided sclerotherapy to larger varicose veins.

An initial consultation is required with your Palm Clinic doctor prior to treatment.

Microsclerotherapy involves injecting the reticular veins and spider veins using a very fine needle with medicine called a sclerosant that is designed to close off the spider veins. Once they are closed the body will slowly absorb the treated vein away over a number of weeks resulting in a reduced appearance of the thread veins.

Spider veins are also called thread veins and these are typically fed by reticular veins which in turn can be under pressure because of chronic venous incompetence.

For this reason at Palm Clinic in Auckland, NZ we prefer to perform a diagnostic ultrasound of all legs before treatment of spider veins in case there are deeper veins underneath which are feeding the spider veins.

If there are deeper veins needing to be treated we typically wait six weeks after the ultrasound guided sclerotherapy before treating the actual spider veins. Likewise if larger varicose veins are present, these must be treated before addressing the spider veins as varicose veins are the cause of the spider veins.

There is a very small risk of complications such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, brown discolouration and allergic reaction which will all be covered at your initial consultation and are outlined in our vein treatment video.

Although spider veins themselves don’t often cause symptoms, they are often of cosmetic concern to our clients. They may avoid having their legs exposed especially over the Summer months due to embarrassment about their appearance. Microsclerotherapy can effectively significantly reduce the appearance of spider veins.

An alternative spider vein treatment where there are no injections involved and no requirement to wear a compression stocking is Exotherme laser treatment. Your Palm Clinic doctor can assess you for your suitability for Exotherme spider vein treatment at your initial consultation.

Your Palm Clinic Doctor will go through what the treatment involves and after care advice and ensure you have any questions that you have answered.

You will change into your underwear and be covered with a towel for your lap at each treatment session. You are welcome to bring a pair of short shorts to wear instead.

You will be lying down on a bed and your Palm Clinic doctor will inject the visible spider veins with a very fine needle. Most find this process minimally uncomfortable. The treatment will take around 30-45 minutes. You can expect the treated vein near to the injection site to look inflamed and irritated as if you have multiple mosquito bites in the area. This can look like an allergic reaction but is normal to expect.

After treatment your Palm Clinic Doctor will fit you for a compression stocking/sock. You will remain in the compression stocking for one week after treatment. You will walk for a total of one hour per day and avoid strenuous exercise for one week before resuming your normal daily activities. These measures help to reduce further the very low risk of deep vein thrombosis. You should also avoid consuming alcohol on the day of treatment.

You can expect the treated area around the injection site to look red, inflamed and bruised for a few weeks after treatment.

You will usually require three to four treatment sessions to attain significant improvement in the appearance of your spider veins. It takes around eight weeks for your body to absorb the treated spider veins away and to see the cosmetic improvement.

One treatment session is $630.

View our gallery of before and after spider vein treatment.