Foam Sclerotherapy

Foam sclerosant used to shrink varicose veins

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How Does It Work?

Foam Sclerotherapy is a technique involving the injection of a special foam chemical into the varicose veins causing the vein walls to stick together.

The vein treatment procedure involves the mixing of the sclerosant drug with air in a syringe. This expands the surface area of the drug making the sclerosant more effective than the standard liquid drug in causing sclerosis. Sclerosis describes the stiffening of the tissue in the targeted varicose veins.

The solution does not mix with the blood in the veins but rather displaces it preventing the drug from diluting. As a result, foam sclerotherapy is more suited for varicose veins that are large and tortuous (twisty).

Foam sclerotherapy is often an adjunctive vein treatment to radiofrequency ablation and can be performed on the same day or delayed for four to six weeks after the radiofrequency ablation treatment has been completed.

The sclerosant drug gradually causes the destruction of the vein over the course of a few weeks which allows the blood to reroute through healthy veins and restore natural blood flow.

The entire foam sclerotherapy procedure is completed in-room by a trained sclerotherapist over a 30 to 40 minute session and requires no hospitalization. The number of sessions that the patient will require depends on the size and severity of the varicose veins that need to be treated.

Recovery

  • Compression stockings need to be work for one month after the procedure. For the first week of recovery, the compression stocking should be worn during the day and night. For the remaining three weeks thereafter, the compression stocking only needs to be worn during the day.
  • During the first week of recovery, it is recommended that the patient do two daily walks to promote healthy blood flow. Rigorous and strenuous exercise, however, is not advised.

Benefits Of The Procedure

  • Foam sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive procedure that can be completed in-room by a trained sclerotherapist.
  • The procedure only takes 30 – 40 minutes to complete.
  • The recovery period is not lengthy and patients can return to their normal lifestyle after a short period of time.
  • Patients will experience relief from the symptoms of varicose veins and cosmetic reprieve from spider veins.