Spider Vein Treatment

At Virginia Commonwealth University Vein Care, we use injection sclerotherapy to treat spider veins. This procedure uses an extremely tiny needle to inject the vein with a solution that shrinks the vein.

The vast majority of patients who have sclerotherapy will experience significant clearing in the appearance of their veins.

It is extremely rare for anyone’s condition to worsen because of the treatment.

Treatment Sessions

Predicting the number of treatments needed to clear or improve the spider vein condition is difficult. Each vein may need to be injected one to five or more times over a period of weeks or months.

The total number of treatment sessions needed depends on the amount and severity of the veins. Average treatment is three to five sessions – with severe cases requiring as many as 10 or more.

Improvement is usually seen over a period of weeks or months, but smaller veins can disappear after the first treatment session. Multiple areas can be treated during each session, reducing the total number of sessions required.

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Long-Term Treatment

Sclerotherapy does not prevent development of new spider veins and varicosities over the years.

Standing occupations, pregnancy and high estrogen states may increase this tendency. Many people will require treatments from time to time to keep their legs clear.

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Insurance

Treatment of symptomatic varicose veins is typically covered by most insurers. Please contact your insurance company to determine your coverage. Treatment for spider veins is considered a cosmetic procedure by insurance companies; therefore, it is not covered by insurance.

Once our doctors have had the opportunity to examine your veins, they can tell you what they would expect the cost of treatment to be.

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