Sun exposure has nothing to do with vein color after treatment. Larger veins normally appear darker for a few months following successful sclerotherapy, but this is temporary and they eventually fade completely.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

The discoloration of those veins is due to hemosiderin staining from the sclerotherapy. If those veins were bulging, then they should have been taken out using a technique called ambulatory phlebectomy. From your question, I can also speculate that other varicose vein treatments needed to be done first before spider vein treatment because if the sources of those varicose veins are not treated initially, then large bulging veins and spider veins will come back.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

What you are describing does not sound unusual. Varicose veins are larger in size and take longer to fade. These type of veins may also require additional treatment. Go back to your treating physician for a follow-up. He/she will conduct an examination as well as an ultrasound to ensure the problematic veins are closed off. If they are not, the physician will recommend further treatment options.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

It is not unusual for a vein to darken after sclerotherapy; rather, this usually is a sign that the vein is dead and on its way to resolving. Think of it like a bruise; it gets darker and sometimes more tender before it goes away.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

The varicose vein may have trapped blood in it. Contact the physician who treated you and request an evaluation.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

You may have some old blood trapped in the deeper vein which, if coagulated, may need to be drained with a needle. Otherwise, it is possible that the deeper reticular vein did not respond to the injection treatment and may need to be treated again. This should be very simple for your sclerotherapist to determine with visual inspection.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

Depends on many variables, including your anatomy and the physician's treatment details, as well as what was explained to you beforehand.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

It sounds like the larger varicose vein that is feeding the spider or reticular vein(s) is hyperpigmented from the sclerotherapy treatment. There may be old (trapped) blood that could (or should) be aspirated. This will provide relief and may cause the area to fade quicker and resolve.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

After sclerotherapy, it can take a week to a couple of months for both spider veins and varicose veins to go away. It generally takes longer if the treated vein is large. Following treatment, the veins usually darken and become more visible. This is nothing to be concerned about. In fact, this is a good sign because it means the vein is closing. Everything you described sounds normal. However, if you are really concerned, follow up with the physician who performed the procedure.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

Sclerotherapy is for spider veins only. Varicose veins are a circulation problem that requires minimally invasive treatment options, such as endovenous laser ablation.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

Varicose or reticular veins are larger and take much longer for the body to absorb. If there are any lumps or bumps, you should return to your treating physician and ask him/her to assess the treated leg. Sometimes old blood can become trapped within the vein. Once it is removed or drained, the veins will heal faster.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

Did you have foam sclerotherapy performed on medium to large size veins? Or, was surface sclerotherapy conducted on the small, visible veins? I will assume that you had foam sclerotherapy since it was your expectation that it would help with larger refluxing veins. Six weeks after foam sclerotherapy, it is not unusual for the treated veins to be darker and more visible. The veins may also feel firm and tender to touch, or feel a little "tight". These signs and symptoms relate to the healing process as the vein begins to be reabsorbed by the body. This process may take weeks to months, but not longer. At this point it should start getting better and over the next 6 to 12 weeks, the treated vein should become significantly less noticeable. It's great that you are following your doctor's very sensible advice to stay out of the sun and take care.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

Sclerotherapy usually works very well for spider veins, but not as well for larger varicose veins. For the larger varicose veins, it is important to address the underlying cause, which is often venous reflux disease. This can be evaluated by an ultrasound and successfully treated by endovenous laser ablation.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

The solution injected into the spider veins likely is not of sufficient strength to treat the "varicose" vein. I suspect that you are referring to reticular veins when you mentioned "varicose." In general, we like to treat the reticular veins first and then the spider veins. Additionally, if you have not been evaluated for saphenous insufficiency, that would be the first thing to do.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

This is normal. Although sclerotherapy can be done for varicose veins, multiple treatments may be required to resolve them. If you only had the spider veins treated with sclerotherapy and not the varicose veins, the varicose veins will not resolve at all. Provided there is no underlying valvular reflux, a better option for the treatment of the varicose veins would be microphlebectomy.

Published on Jul 11, 2012