VenousNon-surgical
Sclerotherapy
A quick, in-clinic injection therapy that painlessly collapses unsightly spider veins and smaller varicose veins.
Sclerotherapy is the gold-standard injection treatment for spider veins and varicose veins — using liquid or foam sclerosant agents to close abnormal vessels in-clinic with no downtime.
Book a Consultation
A fine needle is used to inject a sclerosing solution, causing the spider vein to permanently collapse and fade away.
How an Injection Makes a Vein Disappear
Sclerotherapy treats unwanted veins by injecting a solution — the sclerosant — that irritates the lining so the vein wall swells, sticks together and seals shut. Over the following weeks the body absorbs the closed vein and it fades from view. Blood reroutes through healthy vessels and is never missed.
It remains the gold standard for spider veins and small varicose veins: no incision, no anaesthetic, done in a normal consultation room, and you walk out and drive home.
It remains the gold standard for spider veins and small varicose veins: no incision, no anaesthetic, done in a normal consultation room, and you walk out and drive home.
Liquid and Foam
The form of sclerosant is matched to the vein:
- Liquid sclerotherapy — a fine needle delivers liquid straight into thread-like spider veins and small reticular veins
- Foam sclerotherapy — the sclerosant is whipped with a little air or CO₂ into a foam that fills and grips larger varicose veins, giving far better contact with the wall
- Ultrasound-guided foam — the injection is steered by ultrasound into deeper varicose veins that cannot be seen at the surface
Why the Ultrasound Comes First
Spider veins on the thigh or calf are often the visible tip of a leaking saphenous vein higher up. If that source is not identified and dealt with first — usually by radiofrequency ablation — injected spider veins tend to recur within months and new ones appear. Dr. Chang performs a venous reflux scan before treating anything more than isolated spider veins, so the treatment is done in the right order.
What the Sessions Are Like
Each session lasts 30 to 45 minutes and treats a region at a time. The injections feel like tiny stings. Afterwards you wear a compression stocking for about 5 to 7 days and are encouraged to walk normally, avoiding hard exercise, hot baths and long-haul flights for two weeks. Spider veins usually need 2 to 4 sessions spaced a few weeks apart; they fade over 4 to 8 weeks, and larger veins settle over 8 to 12 weeks. Privately in Singapore, cosmetic spider-vein sessions are typically SGD 300 to SGD 600 each and are not Medisave-claimable, whereas treatment of symptomatic varicose veins usually is.
Side Effects to Expect
Most are minor and settle by themselves:
- Bruising, redness and small firm lumps along the treated vein for a few weeks
- Brownish pigment lines that usually fade over months, occasionally longer — more common on darker skin and with larger veins
- Fine red “matting” of new tiny vessels in a minority, which may need a further session
- Rarely, a small skin ulcer at an injection site, an allergic reaction, or a clot in a deeper vein
- It is avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding, in anyone with a recent DVT, and with a known sclerosant allergy
Sclerotherapy: Common Questions
Considering Sclerotherapy?
Dr. Peter Chang will assess your suitability and discuss all treatment options during a specialist consultation at Paragon Medical Centre, Singapore.