I had a sclerotherapy procedure for spider veins on lateral upper thigh just over two weeks ago at derm dr. Since that time, have noticed an approx. 1" wide area of tons of tiny new vessels just distal to injection sites. How long before this goes away?
The telangiectatic matting that occurred following sclerotherapy may never resolve without more treatment, such as IPL.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
New matting may need further investigation to see if there is a branch vein underneath this area feeding the matted area. A vein light will often demonstrate a "deeper" reticular vein feeding these areas, which can be injected as well. Did the dermatologist perform a venous ultrasound prior to your injections? Something to consider if you have spiders below the knee.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
In our experience, telangiectatic matting goes away on average within 3-4 weeks, but it is not unusual to need extra sessions of sclerotherapy to completely resolve.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Matting is a complication of sclerotherapy and doesn't go away. The matted veins can be injected or a surface laser can be tried.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
You might even need another session to clear all those spider veins. After one month another session might be a good idea, or at least a follow up appointment with the nurse or doctor that injected them.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
It may take up to a year.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
I wait 5 weeks before continuing sclerotherapy.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
What you are describing is matting - a diffuse area of very fine veins. There is a lot of speculation about what causes this, from poor injection technique, to too strong a solution for the size of vein, too much pressure during injection or failure to also seal feeder (reticular) veins. Most of this is "guess work" as no one really knows. Even experienced sclerotherapists will see this, and sometimes it is just the person's response to the treatments. This may fade with time, may extend or stay the same. I would certainly request transillumination (using a vein lite) to see if there are feeder veins, and possibly an ultrasound examination to rule out anything else. These will continue to push into an area and could dilate surrounding vessels when others are sealed. They can also be treated (after 4-6 weeks between treatments) using other modalities such as Intense pulsed light therapy, topical radiofrequency (VeinWave or Vein Gogh). I advise patience and not being too aggressive.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
If they don't spontaneously resolve in a month, they need to be treated by sclerotherapy.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Most matting issues following sclerotherapy will resolve in 6-8 months, provided that you do not get any more injections. The more treatments you get, the more matting you will probably get and the longer it will ultimately take to resolve.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Matting may take up to a year to resolve. Expert opinion says to avoid
overtreating these or it will get worse or cause pigmentation.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
It depends on the size of vein that was treated and how much matting you
have. It can take a few weeks to a few months to go away. If they don't,
they can also be treated.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Matting usually resolves on its own but could take up to a year. I usually give it about 4 months and, if no improvement, then I re-inject the area with glycerine.
Published on Jul 11, 2012