Sclerotherapy: Estheticians and Medical Staff Working Together

By Amy Fanter

In beauty school, estheticians are taught about common skin disorders and conditions like acne, rosacea, and pigmentation issues. They are trained to notice diseases like impetigo and herpes virus, so they are alerted to seek extra sanitation methods and not perform treatments that could worsen the conditions.

However, estheticians cannot diagnose clients. Part of being a good esthetician is knowing how skin care services can help clients versus when medical services are needed. Sclerotherapy is one such procedure where an esthetician's job is to communicate to clients what the treatment is and where clients can go to get more information from medical personnel.

What is Sclerotherapy?

Used since the 1930s, sclerotherapy is a common medical technique used to treat spider and varicose veins. Spider veins are very small blood vessels, usually red or blue and no bigger than a large hair, connected together in spider-web, tree, or sun-burst shapes. Varicose veins are larger blood vessels that are very noticeable and can be raised above the skin's surface. Most of the time, both spider and varicose veins appear on the legs, but they can be found on other parts of the body, too. Sometimes, these veins are very noticeable and regarded as unattractive; they can be painful, as well.

Sclerotherapy requires an injection of solution into each troublesome vein, which causes the vein to collapse and disappear. A patient may require one injection per inch of vein. This treatment does not require anesthesia and is performed on an outpatient basis, which makes it a popular treatment at medi-spas. At least two one-hour sessions are usually required for the best results.

Sometimes sclerotherapy is used in combination with laser therapy to treat leg veins. The National Laser Institute reports that at least 40 percent of women have these abnormal leg veins by the age of 50. The American Academy of Dermatology reports that there is an 80 to 90 percent chance for improved appearance with treatment.

Who Can Perform Sclerotherapy?

Though sclerotherapy is a popular service in the medical esthetics industry and at medical spas, estheticians cannot perform this service. Qualified health professionals typically perform sclerotherapy because they are authorized under state law to perform injections. Training is available through education centers that offer medical aesthetics training. Usually, training is offered to qualified health professions only, such as registered nurses (RN), medical doctors (MD and DO), and physican assistants.