How Long Does It Take for Varithena® to Work?

You understand that there’s no turning the clock back on varicose veins that develop in your legs, so you want to better understand your options when it comes to banishing these problematic blood vessels. 

As you research the many varicose vein treatments that we offer here at Upper East Side Cardiology’s Vein Institute, we want to take this opportunity to highlight one, in particular, in this month’s blog post — Varithena®.

Since its approval by the FDA in 2013, Dr. Satjit Bhusri and our vascular team have turned to Varithena time and again to help our clients successfully get rid of varicose veins, and we can do the same for you.

Here’s a look at how Varithena works and when you can expect to debut your smooth, varicose-vein-free legs.

Finding closure for your varicose veins

The active ingredient in Varithena is polidocanol, which is a sclerosing agent that causes the target blood vessel to seal off and collapse. The polidocanol comes in foam form, and when we inject Varithena into your vein, the foam expands, effectively sealing your vein. 

Once it’s sealed, the treated vein collapses, at which point any blood that was flowing through the vessel reroutes to healthier veins so your circulation isn’t compromised in any way.

In most cases, we need to only deliver one or two injections of Varithena, and we use ultrasound guidance to ensure that we’re hitting our target. While your varicose veins were likely long in the making, this minimally invasive procedure takes less than an hour to deliver.

After your Varithena treatment

While you may feel some soreness at the site of your Varithena injections, this side effect is generally short-lived and easily managed with some ice and/or over-the-counter medications. In fact, many of our patients get right back to their busy schedules, though we ask that you only engage in light activities for the first week. You will also need to wear compression stockings for the first two weeks after your treatment.

While we ask that you avoid heavy exercise for at least a week, we also encourage you to move around — at least 10 minutes a day— which will greatly help the circulation in your legs.

During this time, your body will gradually absorb the defunct blood vessel, causing it to fade from the surface of your skin. In some cases, you may see this in a week or two after your Varithena treatment, but you should count on at least three to four weeks to realize optimal results. Of course, results vary from one patient to the next, so we can’t really be more precise.

If you have more questions about Varithena or you’d like to schedule this treatment, please contact our New York City office on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.