Where can I get sclerotherapy in Canberra?

Canberra Vein & Laser Medicine provides ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy and microsclerotherapy at The Woden Suites in Phillip. Treatment follows a doctor-led assessment with a duplex ultrasound on site, and is performed by Dr Alex Lapenga. Fees are published and quoted exactly in your written plan. Book online or call (02) 5119 3136.

What is in the sclerotherapy injection?

A prescribed sclerosant solution, discussed with you at your assessment. It irritates the inner lining of the vein so the vein closes and is absorbed. For larger veins it may be prepared as a foam so it displaces blood and coats the vein wall. The specific medicine, its dose and its risks are covered in your consultation and consent.

Does sclerotherapy hurt?

Most people describe a brief sting with each injection and sometimes a mild cramping or warm feeling as the solution spreads, which passes within a minute or two. No anaesthetic is needed. Tenderness and bruising along the treated vein over the following week or two are common. Everyone's experience differs.

Is sclerotherapy covered by Medicare?

A Medicare rebate applies where treatment is clinically indicated and eligibility criteria are met. For ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy that means symptomatic veins with reflux shown on ultrasound. Treatment for appearance alone, including spider veins, does not attract a rebate. Your assessment determines which applies before treatment is planned.

Sclerotherapy Canberra — What It Is & What It Costs

What is ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy?

Sclerotherapy is the injection of a prescribed sclerosant solution, discussed with you at your assessment, into a vein. The solution irritates the lining of the vein so the walls stick together, the vein closes, and the body absorbs it over the following weeks. For fine surface veins this is done by eye; that version is called microsclerotherapy. For veins beneath the skin, which you cannot see or feel, the injection is guided by an ultrasound probe held over the vein so the needle tip and the spread of the solution are watched in real time. That is ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy.

For larger veins the solution is usually prepared as a foam, which displaces the blood in the vein and coats the vein wall more completely than liquid would. The foam is visible on the ultrasound screen, which is how Dr Lapenga confirms it has gone where it was meant to.

Who this is for

UGS is used for veins that a laser fibre cannot treat well: veins that twist and turn, veins that are too small or too close to the skin for thermal treatment, and veins that reflux below a trunk vein that has already been closed with endovenous laser ablation. In practice most people with varicose veins end up with a plan that combines both, EVLA for the trunk and UGS for the branches, because the two techniques suit different veins.

It is also used on its own for recurrent varicose veins after previous surgery, and for people in whom EVLA is not suitable. Whether it is right for you depends on the duplex ultrasound performed at your consultation. If your only concern is spider veins on the skin surface, the pathway is different and does not usually need ultrasound guidance.

What happens at your appointment

Consultation first. Your first visit is an assessment with Dr Lapenga, which includes a duplex ultrasound of your leg veins in the same room. You leave with a written plan naming the veins to be treated and the fee per session. The number of sclerotherapy sessions depends on your response to treatment and cannot be predicted in advance. Further treatment is considered at review. A cooling-off period of about a week separates the consultation from treatment.

On the day. Wear or bring loose clothing and bring the compression stockings listed in your plan. Allow about 45 minutes. Eat normally beforehand.

You lie on the couch and the veins to be treated are found again with the ultrasound probe and marked on the skin.
The skin is cleaned. There is no anaesthetic, because the injections themselves are small and an anaesthetic would add more needles than it saves.
With the probe held over the vein, a fine needle is placed into it and the solution is injected. You will feel a brief sting and may notice a warm or cramping sensation spreading along the vein for a minute or so. On the screen, the vein is seen to go into spasm and the foam to fill it.
This is repeated for each segment of vein in the plan. A typical session involves several injections. Pressure is applied to each site as the needle comes out.
The compression stocking is put on while you are still lying down, and you get up and walk. A ten-minute walk immediately afterwards is part of the treatment; it clears the solution from the deep veins and keeps blood moving.

A review with ultrasound is arranged a few weeks later. Further sessions, if needed, are spaced to let each set of veins settle first.

Recovery and what can go wrong

You can drive yourself home and most people are back at work the same or next day. The stocking is worn for the period stated in your plan, walking is encouraged every day, and standing still for long periods, strenuous exercise, hot baths and long flights are avoided for a short time. The treated veins become firm, tender and sometimes lumpy as they close; this is expected and settles over weeks. Bruising is common.

Things that can go wrong, in rough order of likelihood: trapped blood in a closed vein, which can be released with a small needle at your review and which otherwise leaves a tender lump that resolves slowly; brown staining of the skin along the vein, which fades over months but can take a year or more and occasionally persists; a blush of new fine veins around a treated area (matting), which may need microsclerotherapy; phlebitis; a temporary visual disturbance or migraine-like headache in the minutes after foam injection, more likely in people who get migraines; skin ulceration at an injection site if solution escapes the vein, which is rare and heals slowly with a scar; allergic reaction, which is rare; and a clot in a deep vein, which is rare and is the reason for the stocking, the walking and the ultrasound review. Treated veins can reopen and new veins can develop over time, so a second session or a later top-up is sometimes part of the picture. Outcomes vary between people, and the risks that apply to you are explained before you sign a consent form.

Cost and Medicare

Ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy at CVLM is $800 per session, current as at September 2026. Where reflux has been demonstrated, the treatment is not for appearance and the leg is not having EVLA at the same time, the Medicare rebate is $111.75 per session (item 32500, up to six sessions in twelve months), leaving $688.25 out-of-pocket. Your written plan quotes the fee per session. The number of sclerotherapy sessions depends on your response to treatment and cannot be predicted in advance. Further treatment is considered at review.

A Medicare rebate applies where treatment is clinically indicated and eligibility criteria are met. Your assessment determines this before any treatment is planned. Clinically indicated means symptomatic veins with reflux demonstrated on duplex ultrasound; treatment for appearance alone does not attract a rebate. Procedures are performed in our rooms, so hospital insurance cover does not usually apply. A pay-later option is available through Medipay. The fees page sets out the full schedule.

Who you will see

Dr Alex Lapenga, Specialist General Practitioner with a fellowship of the College of Phlebology (UK), performs the assessment, the ultrasound and every injection himself. Canberra Vein & Laser Medicine is at The Woden Suites, Level 3, Francis Chambers, 40 Corinna Street, Phillip ACT 2606. Phone (02) 5119 3136.

Ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy in Canberra