Day of discharge
Foam sclerotherapy
Reviewed by Dr Amit KumarA foam medicine was injected into the treated veins to irritate their lining so they seal shut and slowly fade.
About this treatment →About the condition →Also for this procedure: Long term →
Today and tonight
This is a walk-in, walk-out treatment — you can go home the same day and return to gentle everyday activity.
The single most useful thing today is to keep moving. Take short, frequent walks rather than sitting or standing in one place for a long time, and raise the leg when you rest.
Pain and medication
Mild aching, tightness or a pulling feeling along the treated veins is common and settles over the next days.
Simple over-the-counter pain relief such as paracetamol is usually enough.
Your dressings & stockings
Wear the Class II compression stockings that were applied after your procedure using the following guidelines:
- Day of procedure — Keep them on today and tonight
- Day after the procedure — Take them off in the morning and reapply after your shower. Take off at night
- 2nd day after the procedure — Put them on in the morning for the whole day and then, so long as you are back to normal activities completely, no further need till the next session.
Moving and activity
- Walking
- Walk for a few minutes regularly through the day. Movement helps the treatment settle and lowers the small risk of a clot.
- Driving
- You can usually drive once you are comfortable and could brake hard in an emergency — often the same or next day.
- Work
- You should be able to go back to work right after your procedure
- Exercise
- Return to your regular exercise, once you feel ready
- Flying
- You can fly after 24 hours of the procedure. However, during the flight you must wear the Class II compression stockings through the flight. Also drink plenty of fluids and walk around every 1 - 2 hours when on the flight
When will I be back to normal?
You should feel largely back to your usual routine within a few days. The veins themselves fade at different rate in different individuals and can take 6 - 12 months.
You may feel firm, tender, lumpy cords under the skin — trapped treated blood — which soften over the following weeks. This is why, the one month visit is important - if there are any unresolved veins they are treated and also, therapy for any sites with phlebitis.
What is normal
- Bruising and brown staining along the line of the treated veins.
- Firm, tender, lumpy cords under the skin — trapped treated blood — which soften over the following weeks.
- Itching or small areas of skin discolouration.
What is not normal — contact us
Contact the clinic if you notice any of these:
- Increasing redness, warmth, swelling or spreading pain in the leg.
- A temperature or feeling unwell.
- Skin blistering, or an open or darkening area at an injection site.
- Calf pain and swelling that is getting worse rather than better.
Emergency — go to hospital now
Call an ambulance or go to the nearest hospital emergency department straight away if you have:
- Chest pain or tightness, or sudden shortness of breath.
- Coughing up blood.
- A sudden, very swollen, cold, pale or intensely painful leg.
- Bleeding from a wound or vein that does not stop after 10 minutes of firm, continuous pressure with the leg raised.
- Fainting or collapse.
Your follow-up
You would have been given a follow-up appointment for your next session - for sclerotherapy continuation or if completed for the one month follow up. The subsequent sessions of sclerotherapy can be on back to back days without any concern, given the dosages we use - at safe levels.
Questions?
If anything worries you or you are unsure, it is always better to ask. Message the clinic on WhatsApp.