Why and How She Had Her Spider Veins Removed

By Tiffany White 
Post Sponsored by Clark Memorial Hospital Vein Center 

Alicia Smith says she had no reservations about trying the treatment and has been pleased with the results.
Photo by Melissa Donald

Alicia Smith, 35, enjoys wearing dresses, skirts, and shorts, but when spider veins appeared on both of her legs in 2012 after she had a baby, she tried to hide them. “They started burning and itching, and I didn’t like how they looked. I wore stockings for a while, but that didn’t seem to help at all,” she says.



Alicia tried sclerotherapy — a vein removal treatment offered at the Clark Physician Group Thoracic and Vascular Surgery Center. Using a small gauge needle, Marla Beeler, APRN, injects asclera — a sclerosing agent — into the spider veins, which scars the vein better than saline. “The vein doesn’t have the reaction to saline, because saline is like saltwater. It is less of an irritant to the vein, but the whole goal is to irritate the vein so that it scars off,” Beeler says. The body absorbs the blood vessel and uses the healthy blood vessels instead, which resolves the spider vein.

After the injection, clients usually feel slight burning, itching, and stinging, but those side effects only last for a few seconds. “I experienced a little bit of burning, and that was when she was sticking the needle in each vein. There were red welts, but those went away the next day,” Alicia says. No recovery time is needed, and clients are encouraged to stay active after the treatment. “We want you to be up on your feet to keep the blood and asclera in your veins so that the scarring happens,” Beeler says.

Marla Beeler, APRN injecting asclera, a sclerosing agent, into the spider veins. Photo by Melissa Donald

The spider veins disappear within 8-12 weeks, but sometimes clients must return for touch-ups depending on the size of the vein. Alicia, who had the procedure done on both legs, says she saw results after two weeks. She will be returning to finish treatment on her right leg and says she would recommend the treatment to anyone. Sclerotherapy, which is done at the Thoracic and Vascular Surgery Center, takes an hour to complete for both legs. The cost for the first treatment vial is $120 and $65 thereafter. Beeler can do a maximum of five vials per setting but says most people need between two and four vials.

Are you interested in finding out if sclerotherapy is right for you? You can read more about the procedure here or by visiting their website.  Interested in a consultation? Call today to set up your appointment at 800.424.DOCS