How Many Sclerotherapy Sessions Do I Need?

Why isn't one session always enough?

Sclerotherapy works by injecting a medicine called a sclerosant into a vein. The medicine damages the inner lining, the vein walls stick together, and over the following weeks your body absorbs the closed vein. It is a gradual biological process, not an instant removal.

Several things mean one appointment may not finish the job:

• Number of veins: there is a safe limit to how much medicine can be used in one session, so a leg with many spider veins is usually treated in stages.
• Vein size: larger reticular or varicose veins sometimes need a second injection before they close completely.
• Healing time: the doctor needs to see how each vein has responded before deciding what to treat next.
• New veins: vein disease is chronic, so new small veins can appear over the years and may be treated later.

What affects how many sessions you need?

1. Whether there is hidden reflux

Spider veins and visible varicose veins are often fed by a leaking valve deeper in the leg. If that leak is left untreated, injecting surface veins is like mopping the floor while the tap is still running. This is why LEDAS starts with a duplex ultrasound exam . When reflux is found, it is usually closed first with EVLT , and surface sclerotherapy then needs fewer sessions.

2. The type of sclerotherapy

LEDAS uses two forms:

• SCT (sclerotherapy): liquid injected directly into visible spider and reticular veins on the skin.
• DGS / UGFS (duplex-guided or ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy): a foam form of the medicine injected under ultrasound into dilated veins hidden between muscles. Foam displaces blood and spreads along the vein, which suits larger vessels. See foam vs liquid sclerotherapy .

3. Your goals

If you want relief from aching and swelling, the plan focuses on the veins that drive symptoms. If you also want the surface to look clearer, extra sessions for fine spider veins may follow.

4. Aftercare

Wearing your compression stockings as advised and walking every day helps treated veins close and absorb, which can reduce the need for repeat injections.

How sessions are planned at LEDAS

Sclerotherapy at LEDAS is part of the LEDAS treatment system , which runs in three stages:

1. Initial treatment: the source veins that cause the varicose veins, usually with laser.
2. Intensive treatment: the smaller vessels, using DGS and SCT, with a re-examination after each session.
3. Relapse prevention: follow-up ultrasound every 1–2 years, or whenever an overseas patient is in Korea, with further injections only if new reflux is found.

What should you expect between sessions?

After injection therapy, treated veins may look darker and feel firm for a while. This is a normal part of healing as the closed vein is absorbed. Some people notice brief chest heaviness or a dry cough shortly after foam injections; this usually passes quickly, but tell the nurse if it happens.

Walk lightly every day for the first 2–4 weeks and keep your check-up appointments. Read our aftercare instructions for the full list.

Seek urgent help if…

You develop sudden painful swelling of one leg, chest pain or breathlessness after any vein treatment. These can signal a blood clot and need emergency services straight away.

Can international patients finish in one trip?

Often the main treatment and a first round of sclerotherapy can be done during one stay in Busan. Fine spider veins may then be completed on a later visit. Your coordinator will help plan this; see how many days you need in Korea .

What tends to raise or lower the number of sessions

Sclerotherapy sessions – frequently asked questions