Aethoxysklerol developed by Kreussler in the early 1960s and used effectively to treat millions of patients outside the United States for nearly five decades is a primary sclerotherapy for spider vein treatment. Aethoxysklerol has been generally endorsed outside the United States in various concentrations for visible small to medium spider vein treatment. However, this sclerosing solution contained in spider vein injections is yet to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to experts, the key advantages of aethoxysklerol are the fact that its active ingredient has anesthetic properties and its low incidence of adverse aftereffects, such as necrosis and hyper-pigmentation.
Spider Veins
Before delving into the issue of sclerotherapy it is essential to know something about spider veins. Spider veins normally become visible on the legs, ankles, face, and hips and appear in reddish, purplish or bluish colors. These veins are quite thin and often appear like branches stretching out from a centralized area, or may appear like running rivulets.
All veins have a single valve that continues to push the impure blood towards the heart, but as people age, these valves might not function as efficiently. In such situations, some blood can stay in a vein instead of moving forward like it ought to. This, in turn, makes the veins swell up, and these swollen veins are spider veins. Normally, spider veins appear on the legs, ankles and feet as these parts of the body farthest from the heart. Nevertheless, spider vein treatment is possible by a medical procedure called sclerotherapy that has been in practice since the 1930s. Sclerotherapy is actually spider vein removal by injecting a chemical known as sclerosant directly into the harmed vein.
Sclerotherapy is a medical technique that involves the use of spider vein injections of a sclerosing agent – the two most popular agents being hypertonic saline and aethoxysklerol solution. These agents are injected into the veins to disband and get rid of unwanted blood vessels and spider veins. The physician uses a tiny needle to inject the fluid directly into the useless blood vessels. This fluid then displaces the blood in the vein causing it to contract. Gradually over the next month the blood vessels are absorbed and disappear.
On the other hand, some spider on the appearing on the legs and face can also be treated by laser technology. Some spider veins on the legs or face can be treated by laser. This is normally done for people having ugly capillaries on their face. However, laser is a very effective tool in correcting spider veins. It is always done in the physician’s clinic and each treatment session normally takes 15 minutes to an hour counting on the number of spider veins that are being taken care of.
Treatment
The process of spider vein treatment by means of sclerotherapy involves administering a cosmetic injection directly into the inside stratum of the harmed blood vessels. Administration of aethxysklerol or spider vein injections results in the swelling of the spider veins that are put together. This in turn, brings about clotting of the blood inside the damaged veins and ultimately the spider veins are transformed into a flawed tissue and turn insipid prior to disappearing. In characteristic outpatient spider vein treatment using sclarotherapy, the patient changes into a pair of shorts at the doctor’s clinic and lies on an examination table. After cleansing the skin surface with an antiseptic, the doctor injects a sclerosing agent like aethxysklerol (polodpcanol) into the damaged veins. This agent is removed when the skin is stretched firmly over the area with the other hand. The doctor first administers the spider vein injections into the larger veins in each area of the leg, then the smaller ones. In most cases, one injection is needed for every inch of spider vein. A normal treatment session will require five to 40 separate injections. No anesthetic is needed for sclerotherapy, although the patient may feel a mild stinging or burning sensation at the injection site.
The liquid sclerosing agents used most often for spider vein treatment are polidocanol (aethoxysklerol), sodium tetradecyl sulfate, and saline solution at 11.7% concentration. Some practitioners choose to use saline because it does not cause allergic reactions. The normal practice is to use the lowest concentration of the chemical that is still effective in closing the veins. Vein removal by means of spider vein injections containing aethoxysklerol solution is often an agonizing procedure and the sclerosant enclosed in the spider vein injections may give rise to a smoldering or constricting feeling at the injection site. A number of studies have demonstrated that spider vein removal is possible in approximately 50-80 per cent of with just a single sclerotherapy session. On the other hand, around 10 per cent patients having sclerotherapy do no respond to spider vein injections in any way.
Side Effects
Spider vein removal through sclerotherapy has certain adverse aftereffects. It has been found that vein removal by means of spider vein injections often results in change in skin color near the affected veins. The skin bruising owing to use of spider vein injections may be permanent in some patients, while in other patients, it may take months for the scars to fade away. In addition, the common side effects of using spider vein injections for vein removal includes pain, irritation, blistering and marks at the injection site. What is worse, it that in the event the spider vein injections are administered outside the spider veins, it may result in ulcers and even death of the adjoining tissues. While spider vein treatment using sclerotherapy may also cause blood clotting or harm the deep veins arrangement, one of the biggest risks of vein removal by sclerotherapy is that the failure of the treatment may cause the spider veins to reappear some time later on.
Precautions
Patients who have been administered spider vein injections are normally able to walk soon after the sclerotherapy treatment, but they ought to take rest for few days and not undertake any strenuous work. Pregnant or lactating women with varicose veins should never administered the spider vein treatment for vein removal as scientists are yet to ascertain whether the sclerosant contained in the spider vein injections result in birth defects of infects the breast milk. Moreover, sclerotherapy should be avoided in patients who have a history of allergy to sclerosant or similar substances or people having blood clots or swelling in deep leg veins. While administering spider vein injections in these cases may prove to be detrimental for their health, people taking spider vein treatment should avoid direct exposure to sunlight, hot baths, saunas or hot compressions. Last, but not the least, always remember that sclerotherapy is essentially a cosmetic treatment and not covered by any health indemnity.
Winding Up
Before wrapping up, it is important to highlight the advantages of sclerotherapy for spider vein treatment. Compared to surgery or laser treatment, sclerotherapy is much inexpensive and the patient does not have to be hospitalized for spider vein removal. In addition, patients using sclerotherapy for vein removal are able to resume their normal activities much earlier than people undergoing surgery for the same. Sclerotheraphy is best suited for treating spider veins, as it helps to recover fast and in about 85 per cent cases leaves insignificant or no scar at the treatment site at all.
Tags: Sclerotherapy, Spider Vein Injections, Spider Vein Removal, Spider Vein Treatment, Vein Removal
