What should I do before my treatment?

1. Do not shave your legs or apply cream on the day of your appointment.
2. Eat a snack one hour prior to your treatment.
3. Bring shorts to wear during the procedure and slacks to wear out of the office.
4. Ask the doctor about blood-thinning medications – you may be advised not to take them on the day of the treatment.

What should I do after my treatment?

1. Around 2 hours following the treatment, remove the cotton balls and tape using room temperature water, a gentle cleanser, and baby oil.
   
2. After the treatment, wear your tensor bandage or 20 to 30 mm Hg compression stockings for 3 days (omitting the time that you are sleeping recumbent in bed).
   
3. Ideally, you will then wear compression stockings until one week following your treatment day.
   
4. You can resume normal day-to-day activities and light to moderate exercise immediately.
   
5. A brisk 30 minute walk is recommended the day of treatment, or walking on and off throughout the day (avoid prolonged standing or sitting)
   
6. No heavy aerobic exercise or weight-lifting for 3 days (particularly in the case of large varicose veins).
   
7. You can shower in the morning but no hot tub, jacuzzi or sauna for 3 days.
   
8. Avoid application of hot compresses and exposure to direct sunlight/tanning beds for 3 days following the procedure.
   
9. Avoid use of aspirin and anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen for 48 hours following the treatment.
   
10. If there is swelling, wrap ice in a cloth and apply to the affected area.
    
11. You will not notice an immediate improvement.  Clearance usually occurs over a two-week period and in some cases may take up to 8 weeks in some patients. 
    



Risks

The most common side effects are bruising and resultant hyperpigmentation (light brownish in colour); this may last from a week to months. Although your practicioner will cleanse your skin with alcohol before the procedure and use all new equipment and gloves, there is always a risk of infection when the skin barrier is broken. Another risk is phlebitis, which is an inflammation along the vein. This can be treated with anti-inflammatories and usually resolves. Finally the most severe, but rare, side effect is a deep vein thrombosis, or blood clot. This will present as redness and pain deeper than the level of the vein injected. It is an emergency and needs to be imaged and treated with blood thinners.


Preventing Vein Disease

1. Maintain a healthy body weight/body mass index
2. Stop smoking
3. Avoid high-heeled shoes
4. Wear graduated compression socks or stockings, especially if standing for prolonged periods throughout the day



A treatment session lasts around 15 minutes. Various size veins can be treated in the same session.  

Large varicose veins typically need two sessions to achieve significant sclerosis.

Over four sessions may be needed to achieve good cosmetic results to a patch of spider veins, but most patients will experience a greater than 50% improvement after the first two treatments.