polidocanol polidocanol polidocanol is a local anaesthetic and antipruritic component of ointments and bath additives. it relieves itching caused by eczema and dry skin. it has also been used to treat varicose veins, hemangiomas, and vascular malformations. it is formed by the ethoxylation of dodecanol. polidocanolclinical dataother names polydocanol laureth 9 macrogol lauryl ether lauromacrogol peg-9 lauryl alcohol poe-9 lauryl alcohol dodecylpolyethyleneglycolether hydroxyl polyethoxy dodecane oxypolyethoxydodecane ahfs/drugs.cominternational drug namespregnancycategory topical: allowedinjection: contraindication in months 1–3 and after week 36 routes ofadministrationtopical, subcutaneous injectionatc codec05bb02 (who) legal statuslegal status otc (topical), rx (injection) identifiers iupac name 3,6,9,12,15,18,21,24,27-nonaoxanonatriacontan-1-ol cas number9002-92-0 y 3055-99-0pubchem cid656641chemspider570993 nunii0awh8bfg9akeggd01993 ychemblchembl1201751 necha infocard100.019.351 chemical and physical dataformulac30h62o10molar mass582.816 g·mol−13d model (jsmol)interactive image smiles ccccccccccccoccoccoccoccoccoccoccoccocco inchi inchi=1s/c30h62o10/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-13-32-15-17-34-19-21-36-23-25-38-27-29-40-30-28-39-26-24-37-22-20-35-18-16-33-14-12-31/h31h,2-30h2,1h3 nkey:onjqdtzcdsesiw-uhfffaoysa-n n ny (what is this?) (verify) sclerotherapy polidocanol is also used as a sclerosant, an irritant injected to treat varicose veins, under the trade names asclera, aethoxysklerol and varithena. polidocanol causes fibrosis inside varicose veins, occluding the lumen of the vessel, and reducing the appearance of the varicosity. the fda has approved polidocanol injections for the treatment of small varicose (less than 1 mm in diameter) and reticular veins (1 to 3 mm in diameter). polidocanol works by damaging the cell lining of blood vessels, causing them to close and eventually be replaced by other types of tissue. polidocanol in the form of varithena injected in the greater saphenous vein can cause the eruption of varicose and spider veins throughout the lower leg. this procedure should be done with caution and with the knowledge that the appearance of the leg may be forever compromised. pure polidocanol for pharmaceutical use