This is an abbreviated version of the complete article.*
Sclerotherapy is a safe and effective method for eliminating
problematic surface veins, such as spider veins and small
varicose veins. In this procedure, a solution is injected into
the vein to cause a mild inflammatory reaction that causes the
walls of the vein to stick together. Over time, the collapsed
vessel scars and permanently seals; blood flow automatically
reroutes to healthy veins. Sclerotherapy is a procedure used to
treat diseased or cosmetically undesirable veins. Most commonly
sclerotherapy is used for treatment of veins that are a cosmetic
problem for the patient and do not carry any significant amount
of blood flow. Sclerotherapy is a highly effective method for
removing the fine clusters of veins that are often called
"spider veins." Large varicose veins generally are not treated
with sclerotherapy because they have less likelihood of
improvement than smaller veins. In sclerotherapy (chemical
sclerosis), the physician injects a chemical