Asclera - A Less Painful Varicose Vein Treatment?
BOSTON (CBS) - Varicose veins can be painful and make many women self-conscious about their legs.
Now, a therapy that's been available for years in Europe, is helping patients in the U.S.
Ellen Gilmore has been getting sclerotherapy saline injections for 15 years to treat unsightly spider veins as they've emerged with age.
"Really it was an appearance issue and it was just nice to know there was a treatment to handle that," she said.
WBZ-TV's Paula Ebben reports.
Ellen liked the results but the saline shots used to make the spider veins disappear were painful. Plus, her legs were tender and bruised for days afterward.
She explains, "During the actual treatments they would cramp up. There was the initial injection, the stinging and then just the cramping and I would just have to stop."
So Ellen's dermatologist introduced her to a new form of treatment called Asclera that promises less pain and less bruising.
Dr. Hema Sundaram explains, "The way the therapy works is that we are injecting in this case Asclera into the veins it then irritates the lining of the vein and causes the two sides of the lining to stick together and that closes down the vein."
She says this differs from traditional saline sclerotherapy which collapses the veins by disturbing salt balance across the cells, sometimes making it feel like rubbing salt on a wound.
Dr. Sundaram says Asclera is also more effective, mainly because patients can make it through a full series of treatments.
"Patients are more likely to come back for the further sessions that (are) needed. Some veins are going to close down right away after the first session. Some will require more sessions."
Ellen is happy with the results.
After only a month her legs feel and look good and the spider viens have started to vanish.
"It's just amazing normally when I would have the procedure probably about a month afterward, I would still have the bruising spots. I would say it works a lot better and it's less painful."
Asclera treatments cost about $350 to $650 per session.
Some people may need more than one session, depending on the severity of the veins.
Health insurance does not usually cover the cost.
For more information about the procedure, visit asclera.com.
