If you have made the decision to have the sclerotherapy treatment, then there are certain things that should be done before you go in. These activities should be avoided before sclerotherapy as it could have an adverse effect on the treatment and could possibly cause unwanted side effects to occur.
1. Medications Should be Avoided Leading up to the Sclerotherapy Treatment – Your doctor should be made aware of the different medications that you are taking if you plan on having sclerotherapy done. This should be told to him during the initial consultation. If you are taking antibiotic medications, then he should know. The same could be said about the powerful antibiotics Minocin and Tetracycline. These may cause the skin to stain if taken 7-10 days before or after the sclerotherapy procedure.
2. Do Not Take Prednisone – This will have the ability to reduce the effectiveness of the sclerosing agent that is used. If you are taking it, consult with your doctor to find out about discontinuing its use for 48 hours before sclerotherapy is done.
3. Do Not Take Ibuprofen (Nuprin), Aspirin (Advil) – These medications should be avoided as well as other anti-inflammatory drugs. This should be done 48 hours before and after the treatment. The reason behind this is that there is a good possibility that these products may interact with the sclerosing agent. Tylenol can be used however. You should consult with your doctor about what is safe and what is not.
4. You Should Not Lotion the Skin – Lotion should not be applied to the skin before and after sclerotherapy treatment.
5. Use Compression Hosiery – If you have done sclerotherapy before and have compression hosiery lying around, then you should bring them so they can be applied once the treatment has been finished.