Not every varicose vein needs a laser. For smaller varicose veins, residual veins after ablation, and the fine blue-purple spider veins that bother patients cosmetically, the right tool is often sclerotherapy — an injection treatment done in minutes, with no anaesthesia and no downtime. For sclerotherapy in Jaipur, patients see Dr. Nikhil Bansal, Consultant Endovascular & Interventional Radiologist.
How Sclerotherapy Works
A medicine called a sclerosant is injected directly into the diseased vein through a very fine needle. The sclerosant irritates the vein’s inner lining, causing it to collapse and seal. Over the following weeks the body absorbs the closed vein, and it fades from view. For veins that are deeper or feed from larger branches, the injection is guided by ultrasound (foam sclerotherapy) so the medicine reaches exactly the right segment — a technique that belongs to image-guided specialists.
That last point is why specialty matters even for “just injections”: Dr. Nikhil Bansal is known in Jaipur for varicose veins treatment across the full severity range, and brings an interventional radiologist’s ultrasound guidance (MD Radiology, FVIR fellowship, 15 years of interventional practice, Assistant Professor of Interventional Radiology at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, Jaipur) to a procedure many clinics perform blind.
What a Session is Like
- Duration: usually 15–30 minutes.
- Anaesthesia: none needed — the needles are finer than a blood-draw needle.
- Sensation: brief stinging or cramping at the injection site, settling in minutes.
- Afterwards: you walk out immediately. Compression stockings are worn for a period Dr. Bansal specifies based on the veins treated.
- Sessions: small spider-vein clusters may clear in a single session; widespread veins typically need 2–4 sessions spaced weeks apart.
Who is a Good Candidate
Sclerotherapy is typically recommended for:
- Spider veins and reticular (small blue) veins — the cosmetic tier;
- Smaller varicose branches not fed by a refluxing main trunk;
- Veins remaining after laser or radiofrequency ablation of the main trunk;
- Patients who want visible-vein clearance after their underlying reflux is fixed.
And it is usually the wrong first step when a Doppler ultrasound shows major trunk reflux — injecting the branches while the faulty valve keeps feeding them invites recurrence. This is exactly why treatment should start with a specialist who offers every option: after your ultrasound, Dr. Bansal recommends sclerotherapy, laser (EVLT) or radiofrequency ablation according to what your veins actually show — and often a sequence of trunk ablation first, sclerotherapy finish after.
Common Questions
Does it hurt?
Momentarily, at needle level. Most patients rate it easier than a dental visit.
Will the veins come back?
Treated veins do not reopen; new veins can appear over years, especially if underlying reflux was never addressed — which is why the ultrasound-first approach matters.
Any downtime?
None. Walking immediately is part of the protocol. Avoid gyms and long sun exposure for a few days.
Is it safe?
In specialist hands, very. Ultrasound guidance keeps the sclerosant where it belongs.
Book an Evaluation
Start with a Doppler ultrasound and an honest map of your veins. Dr. Nikhil Bansal — varicose veins and sclerotherapy specialist, Jaipur.