Foam sclerotherapy does not cause more staining than liquid sclerotherapy. There are many theories about why staining occurs, including the concentration of solution, leakage of the solution outside the vein, and even the patient's skin type. After more than 20 years of doing sclerotherapy, I have experienced staining and fortunately, it has not been often. Most times I could never explain why the staining occurred and neither could I predict who would stain. My recommendations are to use the lowest concentration necessary, inject slowly, and keep compression post-treatment for 48 hours.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

Staining or hyperpigmentation seems to be more the result of who is getting treated, not what the treatment is. In other words, certain patients tend to get staining after vein procedures in their legs. This seems to be related to the iron metabolism. People who have increased iron stores are more likely to stain. It is not known if there is anything that can be done.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

Sclerotherapy results are largely dependent on the ability to properly inject the vein, followed by compression.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

You should be wearing stockings even after treatment, for 2 weeks at the very minimum. Also, the type of sclerosing agent varies--for example, STS vs. Poly and the dosing and concentration. Ask about choices as some skins do better with one over the other. Lastly, you should ask about liquid vs. foam for treatment choice for your reticular veins and perhaps, have small sections treated in staged therapies.

Published on Jul 11, 2012