What are the side effects of spider vein treatment?
Minor side effects of spider vein treatment – and how you can minimize them
Sclerotherapy is the most effective treatment for spider veins, and is the one that is recommended by most vein specialists. It is considered an extremely safe treatment procedure, for all patient groups. Nevertheless, there are a few side effects that can occur, which you must be aware of. We list a few of these below.
Bruising: Your skin may feel sore and you may see some bluish or purplish bruising shortly after the procedure. This disappears within a couple of days. If the soreness is severe, you can take over-the-counter painkillers, or ask the doctor for prescription medication.
Inflammation: The medicine injected into your veins to remove the spider veins (called sclerosant) is meant to work by irritating your veins. So it is natural to see some signs of irritation on the outside! You may see raised, reddish spots that resemble bug bites, or you may develop small sores. These quickly disappear within 24 hours. Both bruising and inflammation can be reduced by wearing compression stockings immediately after the procedure.
Darkened skin: During spider vein treatment, the red cells in the blood get destroyed. This can sometimes cause reddish discoloration of the skin overlying the spider veins. This occurs in less than 1% of all people, and tends to be more common in non-Caucasians. This discoloration slowly fades over time, and completely disappears in six months.
Formation of new, tiny blood vessels: Sometimes, blood vessels branching off from the spider vein can darken when medicine is injected into the spider vein itself. This happens in one-third of all people, and gives the appearance of multiple, tinier, new spider veins. Don’t worry, though – unlike spider veins, they are not here to stay! These vessels usually disappear on their own after some time.
All the above effects are minor, and do not require treatment. The risk of even these effects reduces in the hands of an experienced specialist, especially if you follow the recommended post-procedure instructions thoroughly.
Rare side effects of spider vein treatment
Dizziness: Very rarely, tiny air bubbles from the injection needle can get into your blood stream along with the injected medicine. If this occurs, you may develop dizziness and headache. You could also experience nausea, and visual disturbances. These effects also usually disappear on their own, but if it persists, you should visit a doctor.
Blood clots: Very rarely, a blood clot will form in the spider vein that has been injected. This blood clot is not dangerous as it; However, it can travel through a larger vein up your legs and heart to your lungs, where it can block a vital artery, causing chest pain and breathlessness. This is called pulmonary embolism, and it requires emergency treatment.
Allergic reactions: A very small percentage of people may be allergic to the sclerosant used for injections. While most allergic reactions cause itching, hives and reddened skin, a few extremely rare cases can develop anaphylaxis. This is a serious allergic reaction where it becomes difficult to breathe. This kind of reaction sets in almost immediately after injection, so a well-trained doctor can administer emergency treatment for anaphylaxis as soon as it occurs.
Infections: Infections are very rare and can occur around treated veins if the needle or sclerosant become contaminated with micro-organisms. The area around the injection site may become red, inflamed, or may start oozing pus. You could also develop a fever. If this occurs, you will need to visit your doctor to get a course of antibiotics for treating the infection.
Signs that you should see a doctor immediately
If you experience one or more of the following symptoms, you could be having a serious adverse reaction to sclerotherapy. You should visit the emergency department immediately:
- Breathlessness
- Chest pain
- Persistent dizziness and headache
- Problems with sensation or limb movement
- Inflammation or swelling that is much larger than the usual bug bite.
- Persistent bleeding from the injected site.
Spider veins can also recur, if you have underlying vein disease. You may need to evaluate this before you decide on getting treated.
VTC – your solution to safe spider vein treatment with minimal side effects.
At VTC, we take every possible precaution to ensure that your sclerotherapy procedure is safe and comfortable. We have on board a team of the nation’s best board certified vein specialists. Your treatment will be performed by experts who have performed the procedure literally thousands of times, so you are in safe hands! The vein doctors at VTC use tiny needles that are designed to cause minimum discomfort, and you can hardly feel the injection. All procedures at VTC follow strict sterilization and asepsis protocols, and we can proudly state that we have never had a single case of infection – ever.
If you would like to learn more about sclerotherapy, or other options for treating varicose and spider veins, please talk to our experts! You can call 855-386-0195, or book an appointment online today.