Do You Need a Referral for Sclerotherapy?

Sclerotherapy uses an injection to close selected small veins so the body can gradually clear them. A consultation is still needed before treatment. The clinician reviews the veins you want treated, your medical history, medicines, allergies, pregnancy status, and any previous clotting problems. They may decide that another assessment or treatment is more suitable.

A referral can come from a primary-care clinician or another doctor, depending on local access arrangements. It is separate from the clinical assessment: having a referral does not mean treatment is automatically appropriate.

Contact the treating clinic and ask whether it accepts self-referrals for sclerotherapy. If you use a health plan, ask whether it requires a referral or prior approval, and whether the consultation and procedure follow different rules. Take a list of medicines and mention prior blood clots, circulation problems, allergies, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and any skin infection near the proposed injection sites.

Bring details about pain, swelling, itching, skin colour changes, or ulcers around the veins. These details help the clinician distinguish veins treated for appearance from symptoms that need a broader vascular assessment.

Arrange prompt medical assessment for new one-sided leg swelling, warmth, redness, marked tenderness, or sudden worsening pain. Seek urgent help for sudden breathlessness, chest pain, fainting, or coughing blood. These symptoms are not a reason to book cosmetic vein injections first.

Ask: Do I need a referral or can I book directly? Which veins are you assessing? Could my symptoms point to a circulation problem? What medicines or supplements should I disclose? What should I expect after the injections, and who should I contact if swelling or pain changes?