Dear Dr. Winder:
Q.I have one vein that is raised and ugly on the back of my knee, and several that I think would be considered spider veins. What can be done?

A. Sclerotherapy may, or may not work for you. You should see a physician with extensive experience in treating troublesome veins so that he or she may examine them and determine the best course of action.

Some true varicose veins can be treated with sclerotherapy; most spider veins can. However, any reputable physician will tell you that it's somewhat "hit and miss". We believe that a patient has the right to know what they're spending their money on . . . therefore, after examination, Dr. Winder would tell you if he thinks you're a good candidate for this procedure. If so, we'll estimate for you that our treatment is effective approximately 70-75% of the time; if, however, we don't think it's feasible, we'll let you know that, too.

A few years ago, we switched from injecting saline solution to using a medication called Polidocanol (trade name "ScleroVein"). This is a medication that does not carry FDA approval, but is the most widely and successfully used both here in the United States and in Europe. Clinically, it has been more successful than the injection of saline solution.

Read more about the sclerotherapy procedure.

Treat Unwanted Spider and Varicose Veins!