Understanding Sclerotherapy – A Basic Overview Of This Treatment

One of the many ailments that affect the human body as a result of venous disorders is Varicose Veins. This condition creates a situation where the blood flow in legs gets sluggish while making its way back towards the heart due to faulty valves in veins. The result – the affected leg veins become swollen and begin to protrude from under the skin, taking on a knotty appearance that is characteristic of the varicose vein condition.

Sclerotherapy treatment happens to be one of the most effective solutions to combat this condition. The procedure involves injecting a solution directly into the vein. This results in a reaction that progressively shrinks the varicose vein. The solutions utilized in a Sclerotherapy injection procedure include Hypertonic saline, Polidocanol, and Sodium tetradecyl sulphate. In advanced cases where the vein has become diseased, this treatment can effectively help in shrinking them down to normal size, albeit after multiple sittings with your doctor.

Details of Sclerotherapy procedure

The entire treatment takes about fifteen minutes to one hour for the administration of one sitting. Doctors usually recommend certain precautions to be takes before a patient goes for the therapy. These include avoiding consumption of other medication, typically the ones containing Tetracycline or Minocin. Certain antibiotics should also be avoided to prevent reactions in a patient’s body. In addition to precautions regarding antibiotics, patients should avoid aspirin, ibuprofen, prednisone and other anti-inflammatory medications for 48 hours before and after the Sclerotherapy procedure. They may act to decrease the effectiveness of the medication being injected to a patient’s body as part of the treatment. Patients who experience pain after the treatment are prescribed Tylenol for some relief. You should have a detailed consult with your doctor about the do’s and don’ts to follow before, during and after the administration of Sclerotherapy injections.

Potential side effects

Just like any other medical treatment, some side effects and reactions are to be expected from Sclerotherapy Injections. These typically include bruising, burning or lumps in the affected areas. Patients are usually asked to take regular hot baths and steam sauna treatments to ease any discomfort they might be facing post-op. Serious complications following sclerotherapy are rare. Some of these complications are allergies to the sclerosant chemical, ulceration of the procedure area, and the possibility of deep vein thrombosis. You should regularly consult with your doctor after the treatment has been administered to ensure no problems arise. Normal physical activity can be resumed after a reasonable time post the administration of treatment. Walking and light exercise is advised to help patients maintain their health. However vigorous exercises are not recommended for a few weeks at least. The individual will be instructed to wear support or compression wraps to "compress" the treated areas.

The overall effectiveness of this procedure in treating varicose veins has been proven and accepted by the medical world. To know more about clinics for Sclerotherapy in Ottawa, visit Atlanticveinclinics.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clint Witherspoon is an expert in the subject of varicose veins. He enjoys writing many articles and blogs on the topic, helping people understand the disease and taking the necessary steps to cure the problem. He recommends Atlanticveinclinic.com as the most reliable name when it comes to varicose vein treatment.