SCLEROTHERAPY

At some point in their lifetime, more than half of the population will be affected by venous insufficiency. Phlebology is the medical specialty that evaluates and treats veinous diseases.

Dr. Hould offers the non-invasive treatment of varicose veins through sclerotherapy. Using small, normally painless needles, she injects a mild sclerosant solution into problematic veins, causing them to close. The body reabsorbs and clears the veins within a few days, the treated areas quickly heal, and legs soon look and feel healthier.

Varicosities and varicose veins

In your body’s circulation system, veins return blood to your heart as arteries carry blood away from your heart.

Veins that become varicose have gradually lost the ability to maintain healthy blood flow. They first appear as thin lines beneath the surface of the skin and develop into clusters resembling fine tree branches. These clusters are known as spider veins. With time, the condition can progress and cause bulging veins at the surface of the skin. Beyond the protrusion of unsightly veins, venous insufficiency can cause discomfort, pain, and a feeling of constant heaviness in the legs.

Risk factors

Over half the population will experience varicose veins in their lifetime. Medical research has documented several probable contributors that include:

• Heredity: there is more risk of suffering from venous disease if one of more family members presents with varicosities.
• Gender/Pregnancy : female hormones such as progesterone can have an impact on vein walls and cause them to dilate. During a pregnancy, hormone levels are higher than normal for all three trimesters. The veins that become dilated will often not return to their normal function and appearance post-pregnancy.
• Age : varicosities increase as we age
• Lifestyle habits : the calf muscles act as pumps to push the blood from the legs to the heart. When are sedentary or remain seated for extended periods without contracting our calf muscles, we don’t activate this essential function for healthy legs.
• Occupation : people who stand for extended periods of time are more at risk of developing varicosities
• Obesity
• Previous trauma to legs (fractures, etc.)
• Ethnicity : Research has shown that Caucasians are more prone to venous insufficiency

Venous insufficiency is a chronic disease

There is no known cure for venous insufficiency. However, regardless of the severity of your varicose veins, there are numerous non-invasive, non-surgical options available to help slow the progression of the disease and improve the appearance of your legs. We offer sclerotherapy, the safest, most reliable and time-tested therapeutic procedure available for treating spider and small varicose veins.

Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy involves the injection of a solution directly into the afflicted vein, causing the vein to collapse. Your body channels blood flow to the surrounding veins, while gradually absorbing and clearing the injected vein. Within a month, treated veins usually disappear.

For small spider veins, we perform visual sclerotherapy. When venous disease is more advanced and we need to reach deeper veins beneath the skin, we use ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy.

First consultation

For your initial consultation, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire on your medical history, including important considerations such as health issues, past surgeries, medication, allergies, family history, and previous vein care procedures. We will also ask you about venous symptoms.

We will then examine your veins and perform an ultrasound exam of the superficial venous system. The ultrasound allows the physician to evaluate deeper veins and localize the source of any problems. In some cases, the small veins located at the surface of the skin are caused by a diseased deeper vein. If that vein is not treated first, the treatment will not be as effective, and the results less satisfying.

After this complete evaluation, we then take the time to explain our findings and discuss various treatment options. We will answer your questions and decide on a treatment plan together.