McKeown Medical
167 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4SQ
Foam sclerotherapy is an advanced form of sclerotherapy used to treat larger varicose veins, particularly those that may not respond well to traditional liquid sclerotherapy.
Date posted — 17.09.24
Foam sclerotherapy is an advanced form of sclerotherapy used to treat larger varicose veins, particularly those that may not respond well to traditional liquid sclerotherapy. In this procedure, a sclerosant solution, which is typically used to irritate and close off veins, is mixed with air to create a foam.
This foam is then injected into the affected varicose vein. The foam displaces blood within the vein, allowing the sclerosant to come into more direct contact with the vein walls, which enhances its effectiveness. The foam’s thicker consistency enables it to stay in the vein longer, providing a more controlled and thorough treatment, particularly for larger or more complex varicose veins.
The benefits of foam sclerotherapy include its minimally invasive nature. It is performed as an outpatient procedure, typically under local anaesthetic, and requires little to no downtime, allowing patients to resume normal activities soon after treatment.
Foam sclerotherapy is also highly customisable; the concentration of the foam and the volume injected can be adjusted to suit the specific needs of the patient, making it a versatile option for treating a variety of varicose veins. While multiple sessions may be necessary to achieve optimal results, foam sclerotherapy is generally well-tolerated and offers a safe and effective alternative to more invasive treatments.
Dr Alex Vesey is our expert consultant vascular surgeon who heads up our varicose vein team. Listen to him explain the foam sclerotherapy treatment.
Foam sclerotherapy is best suited to the smaller veins, just below the surface of the skin. Usually, however, varicose veins are caused by diseased vessels deeper in the leg.
Whilst foam sclerotherapy can be used to treat these deeper veins, it is associated with a much higher rates of complications and so to treat the deep veins we typically perform either Radiofrequency Abalation (RFA) or VenaSeal™ and reserve foam sclerotherapy for the more minor, superficial veins. For the best results, most patients will require a combination of RFA or VenaSeal™ to treat the deep veins with either foam sclerotherapy or microphlebectomy to treat the smaller, more superficial veins.
Foam sclerotherapy involves injecting a specially prepared foam sclerosant directly into the varicose veins to close them off and reduce their appearance and symptoms.
The procedure begins with the preparation of the foam, which is created by mixing a liquid sclerosant with air. Once the foam is ready, it is injected into the targeted vein using a fine needle. The foam fills the vein, displacing the blood and making direct contact with the vein walls. This contact causes irritation and inflammation within the vein, leading to its collapse and eventual absorption by the body.
The procedure is typically performed under local anaesthetic and typically takes around half an hour to perform, depending on the number and size of veins being treated. After the treatment, patients are usually advised to wear compression stockings to help the veins close properly and to aid in the healing process. Most patients can return to their normal activities immediately, though they may need to avoid strenuous exercise for a few days.
The success rate of foam sclerotherapy for treating varicose veins is generally high, with studies showing success rates ranging from 80% to 90%. This means that in the majority of cases, the treated veins successfully close off and are eventually absorbed by the body, leading to a significant reduction in the appearance and symptoms of varicose veins.
However, the success rate can vary depending on factors such as the size and severity of the varicose veins, the patient’s adherence to post-treatment care, such as wearing compression stockings and the patient’s own body’s response to the treatment. While foam sclerotherapy is highly effective, some patients may require multiple sessions to achieve optimal results, and there is a possibility of recurrence over time, which might necessitate additional treatments.
Foam sclerotherapy, while generally safe, can have some potential side effects. Common side effects include mild pain, swelling, and bruising at the injection site, which typically resolve within a few days to weeks. Some patients may experience itchiness or skin discolouration around the treated veins as the body absorbs the collapsed veins. Transient inflammation or redness along the vein path can also occur.
Less common but more serious side effects include deep vein thrombosis (DVT), where a blood clot forms in a deeper vein, which is a rare but significant risk. Allergic reactions to the sclerosant solution, though uncommon, may also occur. In very rare cases, ulceration or hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin) may develop, particularly in areas where veins were treated. To minimise risks, it is important to follow post-treatment care instructions, such as wearing compression stockings and avoiding prolonged standing or strenuous activities.
Determining if foam sclerotherapy is the right treatment for your condition involves several factors. First, a thorough evaluation by an expert vascular surgeon is essential.
Your surgeon will first ask you questions about your medical, family and lifestyle history before performing a physical examination. They will then use an ultrasound scan to identify the anatomy of your veins. It is only with all of this information available that they can recommend the best course of treatment for your particular case. In our practice we offer the full range of varicose vein treatments – including conservative measures, endovascular treatment with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or VenaSeal™, as well as – where appropriate – traditional surgery.
Every patient is unique and our goal is to help match your health needs with the best treatment strategy for your particular condition. The first step is to fill in our online consultation form and from there, our team will be able to arrange an initial consultation and ultrasound scan and we can work together to create a treatment plan that is tailored to your needs.
Varicose veins are enlarged, twisted veins that often appear just under the skin, primarily in the legs and feet.
Phlebectomy, or microphlebectomy, is a minimally invasive surgical procedure used to remove varicose veins.
When it comes to treating varicose veins, VenaSeal™ has emerged as a revolutionary option that offers a minimally invasive and...
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Varicose veins are enlarged, twisted veins that often appear just under the skin, primarily in the legs and feet.
Phlebectomy, or microphlebectomy, is a minimally invasive surgical procedure used to remove varicose veins.
When it comes to treating varicose veins, VenaSeal™ has emerged as a revolutionary option that offers a minimally invasive and...
Laser season continues and I thought you might like to see behind the scenes of a full field laser resurfacing treatment.
This is our wonderful patient Carol who kindly allowed us to film her procedure from start to finish. Carol is pretty typical of patients we treat with this procedure - she`s a former smoker who has also spent a lot of time in the sun as well as using sunbeds, so she`s picked up quite a lot of skin damage over the years.
I treated her full face, with particular focus on the lines around her lips, and she is absolutely over the moon with her results! Watch for Carol`s full procedure and an insight into the recovery process.
If you`re thinking about getting a laser treatment, now is the time to do it while the days are darker and social calendars are still a bit quieter. Send us a message if you`d like to find out if you`d be suitable for this treatment.
Thank you to our delightful patient who had full field laser resurfacing just before Christmas.
She was especially bothered by some deeper lines and wrinkles on her cheeks, around her mouth and under eyes. She also wanted some general skin tightening. I just saw her back in the clinic this week for a follow up and she is already over the moon with her results. She still has a little pinkness, but just look at that youthful glow!
What do you think?
We`re often asked about threads in the clinic and why we don`t offer them. Here`s our Medical Director Dr Rhona explaining what threads are, why we don`t use them, and why fillers are a much more reliable option for people looking for non-surgical rejuvenation.
Before anyone says "Ah, but I don`t want a big fat face" - Dr Rhona has filler in pretty much every part of her own face, and I think we can agree she does not have a fat face! The key to non-surgical rejuvenation is addressing the anatomy, not following the trends!
What do you think?
#threads #dermalfiller #threadsvsfillers
The power of the chin! Improving a recessed chin with some filler is one of the most effective ways of reducing the appearance of jowls, without surgery.
This is an example of one of Dr Rhona`s patients who had this done recently.
The patient was delighted with the result. What do you think?
#fillers #chinfiller #jowls #nonsurgical
As most of you will know, I’ve been campaigning for years for regulation of aesthetic procedures in Scotland. It’s something that I feel extremely passionate about. There are too many people in this country who are harmed from cosmetic procedures and the government has chosen to look the other way.
The government have finally agreed to bring in regulations, but in my view, they are too little too late and I’ve been writing about it in the Herald this morning (read the article at the link in my bio) and talking about it on BBC Radio Scotland`s Good Morning Scotland (you can listen here and on BBC Sounds).
The proposed regulations will make a list of procedures medic only, but they have proposed to allow beauticians to keep injecting fillers in ‘Group 2`. This is the wrong approach and is all to do with politics, rather than patient safety. Filler injections are more invasive and more high risk than most of the procedures they are making medic only and its very clear fillers belong in Group 3, medic only.
There is a consultation on the regulations live right now and I would urge all of our patients and followers to fill it in, pointing out the discrepancy of allowing beauticians to carry on doing fillers whilst banning them from much more benign procedures like PRP. This needs to be about patient safety, not politics.
You can fill out a response to the consultation at the link in my bio.
Thank you!
(To all of our international followers struggling to get their head around this, in the UK we have a situation where yone - with no training and no regulation - can set up shop offering cosmetic procedures. We are campaigning to bring Scotland in line with every other country and ban this practice!)
We are all absolutely over the moon for our incredible patient who has achieved an incredible skin transformation to kick off the new year with!
The patient underwent full field skin resurfacing, which has dramatically transformed her skin. Look at how much tighter the skin on her cheeks and under eyes look - and how much improvement we achieved in reducing the lines and wrinkles.
We`ve been doing this treatment for a couple of years now and we have managed to refine our protocols to have most of our patients healed within 7-10 days now. It still takes months for the skin to get fully back to normal, but by day 10 most patients are now comfortable getting out and about with a bit of make up.
January and February are some of the most popular months of the year to do this treatment, whilst its still dark outside and social lives are quiet.
As the year draws to a close, I want to say a huge thank you to all of our patients who have allowed us to share their photos with you this year.
It takes a lot of courage for our patients to share what is a very personal choice but without that generosity we would not be able to illustrate to the world just what`s possible.
So thank you to every one of you.... here`s to 2025 and lots more incredible patient journeys in our new home! Happy New Year everyone ❤️
Twas the night before Christmas… when McKeown Medical was shut and the McKeowns were spending Christmas in the snow! ⛄️
What a year it’s been with the opening of our new luxury clinic on Bath Street, the launch of new services in the clinic and continuing to grow and develop our existing offering. We have so much more planned for the next twelve months that I can’t wait to tell you about, but for now it’s time for some family time.
I hope every one of our patients and supporters has the most wonderful festive period filled with family, love and lots of food!
Merry Christmas one and all 🎅🏻🎄
Another life changing result for one of our patients.
This patient`s main concern was the static lines etched into her skin around her mouth, so we opted for full field resurfacing.
She is just a month out from treatment and still has a little background redness but already very happy with where things are heading. What do you think?