What is Varithena® foam sclerotherapy?
The Tinsley Surgical team uses the latest advanced form of sclerotherapy from Varithena®, a foam that they inject into the affected veins. The foam seals off the vein so blood can’t flow through it, causing the vein to wither and eventually break down. There are plenty of other healthy veins for your blood to flow along, so losing a few doesn’t impair your circulation.
Foam sclerotherapy has several advantages. For starters, the foam doesn’t mix with your blood in your vein like a liquid sclerosant. Therefore, it works longer and is more effective than liquid sclerotherapy. Also, because of the foam’s thickness, the team at Tinsley Surgical can view your veins using ultrasound, which improves the treatment’s effectiveness.
Upload your online consultation VeinPix images here.
Schedule AppointmentRisk factors for spider veins include:
- Standing for long periods
- Being overweight
- Having relatives with spider veins
- Being pregnant
- Using birth control pills
- Taking hormone replacement therapy
- Going through menopause
In many cases, you can have laparoscopic surgery as an outpatient, going home the same day as your procedure.
Commonly asked questions about Varithena® foam sclerotherapy:
Spider veins are networks of tiny red, blue, or purplish blood vessels on your skin. Spider veins aren’t dangerous, so they’re more of a cosmetic issue than anything. It’s worth bearing in mind that having spider veins does mean you’re more likely to develop varicose veins, which are large, bulging veins in your legs that can be painful.
Spider veins are most likely to appear on your face and legs, and they can affect your self-esteem. If you have spider veins that affect you in this way, the team at Tinsley Surgical provides effective treatments to eliminate them.
Spider veins indicate a problem with the valves in your veins. Arteries take blood that’s enriched with oxygen away from your heart, while veins bring the used blood back to your heart. Consequently, your veins have valves in them that allow blood to flow toward your heart but stop it from going the other way.
Sometimes the valves stop working correctly, so blood starts to leak back the wrong way, building up and causing the veins to swell and show through your skin. When this happens to the larger blood vessels, you have varicose veins. When it affects the tiny blood vessels, called capillaries, you have spider veins.
Varicose veins are a common problem that mainly affects the legs, although they can develop elsewhere. The veins become more prominent, showing through your skin as blue or purple lines and loops. As they worsen, the loops start to twist and bulge out from the skin.
Some people develop varicose veins that don’t cause any symptoms, apart from looking unsightly. However, many people find varicose veins make their legs ache and feel uncomfortable. The veins might start itching or feel tender, and they can become ulcerous long term, meaning you develop open sores that are difficult to heal.
Severe varicose veins can form blood clots that can lead to thrombosis, or even pulmonary embolism if a clot breaks away and travels to your lungs.
Varicose veins develop when the valves inside your veins stop working as they should. The valves are meant to keep blood flowing from your veins back to your heart. If they aren’t working correctly, blood can build up, trickling back up the vein and pooling, so the vein swells.
The more blood that pools in the veins, the more they swell and bulge, and the more likely they are to cause you discomfort.