How many sessions will I need?

Most legs need two to four, four to six weeks apart. It depends on how many veins there are and how large. The likely number is estimated at the assessment, and anyone promising one session and a clear leg is not describing this treatment.

Do I have to wear the stockings?

Yes. Compression is what keeps the treated vein walls together while they seal, and skipping it is the commonest reason a vein reopens. One to two weeks after each session is the usual instruction.

The needle is very fine. Most people describe a brief sting, sometimes a cramping sensation along the vein that passes in a minute. No anaesthetic is usually needed.

Will the veins come back?

The treated vein does not come back — it is absorbed. But sclerotherapy does not change the tendency that produced it, so new veins can appear over the years. Many people have a top-up session every few years.

Who should not have it?

Anyone pregnant or breastfeeding, anyone with a history of deep vein thrombosis, anyone with an active infection in the leg, and anyone immobile for long periods. A medical history is taken for exactly these reasons.

Is this covered by RAMQ?

Sclerotherapy performed for cosmetic reasons is not insured. Where a vein is causing genuine symptoms, coverage depends on the assessment and on current RAMQ rules — the physician will tell you plainly which side of that line you are on.

A woman's legs from knee to ankle in morning sun, the skin smooth and even.

Medical · Performed by a general surgeon

Sclerotherapy — varicose veins

For spider veins and small varicose veins on the legs, and the aching and heaviness they can bring. A solution injected into the vein seals it, and your body absorbs it over the following weeks. Usually two to four sessions.

From$200per session

Book an evaluation See how it works

At a glance

Appointment

30–45minutes

Depending on how many veins.

Sessions

2–4typical

Four to six weeks apart.

Compression

1–2weeks

Stockings, after each session.

Veins fade

4–8weeks

Absorbed gradually.

Downtime

0days

Walking is encouraged.

A woman walking barefoot in a linen skirt, her calves clear.

What changes

Bruised first. Clearer by two months.

The treated leg looks worse before it looks better, and that is the normal course rather than a complication.

01
Compression stockings for a week or two.
02
Bruising and brown lines along the vein.
03
From week four, the vein starts to fade.
04
More than one session is normal.

How it works

It closes a vein you do not need.

A varicose vein is one whose valves no longer close properly, so blood pools in it instead of returning to the heart. The vein is not doing useful work — the blood in it is going the wrong way.

The solution injected irritates the lining of that vein so its walls stick together and seal. Blood immediately reroutes through the deeper, healthy veins it should have been using, and the sealed vein is broken down and absorbed over the following weeks. Nothing is cut and nothing is removed.

Close view of a smooth, clear calf in raking sun.

01
The valve fails
Blood pools in the vein instead of returning upward, and the vein widens and becomes visible.
02
The vein seals
The injected solution irritates the lining so the walls adhere and close.
03
The body absorbs it
Blood reroutes through healthy veins and the closed one is broken down over weeks.

A woman walking away barefoot, the backs of her thighs, knees and calves clear.

Areas treated

Where it goes.

Legs, mostly. Which veins are suitable is what the assessment establishes.

01
Thighs
02
Behind the knee
03
Calves
04
Ankles

What to expect

Weeks, and more than one session.

Anyone promising one session and a clear leg is not describing this treatment.

Day 0
The session
Stockings on before you leave. Walking is encouraged straight away.
Week 1 to 2
Bruised
Bruising and firm brown lines along the treated vein. Both are expected.
Week 4 to 8
It fades
The vein is reabsorbed and the line it left fades. Brown staining can take longer.
Session 2 onward
The rest
Remaining veins are treated four to six weeks later. Most legs need two to four sessions.

Illustration. Not a patient photograph. Results vary.

Your visit

One appointment, 30 to 45 minutes.

Bring or wear something you can roll up, and expect to walk afterwards.

01
First 15 minutes
The assessment
The physician examines the leg and establishes which veins are suitable — and whether a larger underlying problem needs investigating first.
02
Before anything is injected
The plan and the price
How many sessions are likely, and what each costs, agreed in writing.
03
Same appointment
The injections
A very fine needle into each vein. Most people describe a brief sting or cramp.
04
Before you leave
Compression
Stockings go on in the clinic and stay on as directed. They are part of the treatment working.

Dr. Andrew Gyopar, physician at Clinique Medix.

Who performs it

Performed by our medical director, a general surgeon.

Veins are a medical problem before they are a cosmetic one. The assessment has to establish whether what you can see is the whole story or the visible part of something deeper, because injecting the surface of an untreated underlying problem gives a result that does not last. That assessment is made by our medical director, Dr. Andrew Gyopar, general surgeon, in a licensed medical clinic.

Dr. Andrew Gyopar

General Surgeon, Medical Director

Pricing

The price, agreed before anything starts.

What it costs, and what the figure is counted in. The plan and the price are written down and agreed at your evaluation, before any treatment begins.

From

$200per session

Most legs need two to four sessions, four to six weeks apart. How many is estimated at the assessment.

With Dr. Andrew Gyopar.

Prices are before taxes and may change without notice. Results vary from one person to another. A medical evaluation is required before any treatment.

Book an evaluation

Preparation and aftercare

Before and after your visit.

No moisturiser on your legs
On the day itself. It interferes with the dressings.
Bring your stockings
If you already have compression stockings.
Wear loose trousers
You will be putting stockings on afterwards.
Say if you have had a clot
It changes whether this is the right treatment.