Get Rid of Those Spider Veins and Get into Your Holiday Dresses
- Posted on: Dec 21 2017
By Debbie
Let the rest of the country sing “Let It Snow” – we’ll stay nice and toasty warm down here in Florida!
One of the best things about Florida in the holiday season is that you don’t have to worry about sub-freezing temperatures putting the kibosh on your holiday plans. You can wear whatever you want for the holidays including strappy dresses and sandals. I know that I already have some great outfits in mind, including some really cute holiday dresses! The only problem is that, if you have any spider veins on your legs, you might feel a bit self-conscious about wearing dresses for holiday parties or dinners. There is one simple solution to that can be done to minimize the appearance of spider veins and guarantee a very stylish season: sclerotherapy.
What Is Sclerotherapy?
Spider veins can appear pretty much anywhere on our body, including (most commonly) the thighs, ankles, calves and feet, and even the face. Sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive cosmetic procedure that allows us to effectively treat spider veins, along with small varicose veins.
Like many of our cosmetic procedures, sclerotherapy relies on your body’s own healing abilities. Sclerotherapy is a procedure where we inflict a very small, intentional injury to your body, in this case, your veins. We inject a small amount of chemical directly into the spider veins you want to get rid of. This chemical, called a sclerosant solution, intentionally damages the lining of the tiny veins, shrinking them and cutting them off from your body’s circulatory system. Over the course of a few weeks, your body will naturally reabsorb these treated veins, just like it would any other injury.
Another benefit to sclerotherapy is that the treatment will actually make spider and varicose veins less likely in the future. The treatment closes off “feeder veins” – which are the bigger ones that spider and varicose veins split off from. After treatment, the areas where you were injected will be far less likely to have a recurrence of spider veins.
What to Expect
Sclerotherapy is one of the most effective and oldest cosmetic treatments there is. In one form or another, it has been performed by doctors for over 150 years. Mind you, our current methods are far more effective!
Sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive procedure, which means that we do need to penetrate the skin to get at the veins. Depending on the number of spider and varicose veins that need to be treated, the procedure could take between 15 minutes to an hour, over the course of up to four sessions over a few weeks.
After prepping the skin, a very fine needle is used to inject the targeted veins with the sclerosant solution. During the treatment, you might experience some burning or stinging in the areas treated, as well as the possibility of muscle cramping.
What Is the Recovery Period?
The recovery period associated with sclerotherapy is about one to two weeks, while your body reabsorbs the spider veins. You may experience some bruising and swelling in the treated areas, as well as lingering tingling and burning. We suggest avoiding strenuous exercise for the entire recovery period, although movement such as walking can help with the healing process.
There are a few minor side effects associated with the treatment. There may be a feeling of tightness under the skin as the treated veins contract while they are reabsorbed. There may also be some minor skin discoloration for a few weeks to months. There is the possibility that very small “knots” can form in the areas of treatment. This is because of blood trapped in the treated veins after they were injected. These knots may feel a bit tender, but should not dangerous. Your body will reabsorb the blood over time, which can be assisted by putting a heat compress on the knots. If the knots become overly irritated, a thrombectomy can be performed to puncture the vein and release the pressure.
The winter holidays come but once a year. If you want to be at your most stylish over the holidays, sclerotherapy is the best way to rid yourself of any annoying spider veins. If you’re interested in learning more about sclerotherapy, or might be interested in any of our other non-surgical procedures, we invite you to visit our website at www.azulbeauty.com or call our office at (239) 415-7576 to book a pre-holiday appointment. After your treatment, your legs will soon be as unblemished as a fresh New England snowfall, absolutely nowhere near Florida!
Posted in: Procedures