Medical Questions » Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery Questions » Question No. 238
| Question: | Concerning cosmetic treatment for surface veins performed by a specialist—is a coagulant used, and if so, can there be any problems with blood clots following this treatment? |
| Answer: | The spider webs of surface blood vessels that often appear on a woman' s thighs and calves during and after childbirth, can be removed by an injection into the vein.
What is injected into the vein is not a coagulant but a sclerosant. This irritates the lining of the vein, and causes it to shrink down and its walls to stick together. The sclerosant injection is not a glue, but acts in much the same way as a small glob of glue, and completely blocks the blood vessel, thus preventing the entry of blood, and its disappearance.
After the injection, the leg is usually firmly strapped to collapse the veins, and may remain so for some weeks. There is no higher risk of blood clots from this type of operation than any other surgery of similar complexity.
These injections are only suitable for small veins, and do not work on the large, bulging varicose veins.
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