Summer Is Coming How Do Your Legs Look?

By Jeffery J. Dormu, DO, FACOS

Minimally Invasive Vascular Center of Maryland

. http://www.minimallyinvasivevascularcenters.com/

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Summer Is Coming How Do Your Legs Look?

Varicose veins and spider veins are two problems that can plague our legs as we get older. Over 50% of women and 40% of men over the age of 50 complain of vein problems. The legs are susceptible to these vein problems because they work very hard pumping oxygen-poor blood back up to the heart while the arteries pump blood rich in oxygen from the heart to other parts of the body.
Without getting too technical, there are flaps in the veins that keep the blood from flowing backwards as it makes its way toward the heart. These valves tend to weaken as we get older causing the blood to pool in the veins. This pooled blood causes the veins to enlarge and become what we know as varicose veins.
Varicose veins are thick and rope-like. They cause the skin to protrude and look blue, purple or flesh-colored. They can hurt and over time, do pose some health concern, but they tend to look much worse than they feel. They are certainly the more serious of the two conditions.
Spider veins are thin web-like veins that appear much smaller than varicose veins. They may be purple or blue and unlike varicose veins are thin and may spread across a wider area.
Both spider veins and varicose veins can show when wearing swim suits, shorts, and other skin-baring clothing that comes along with the hot, summer weather.
For that reason many women are turning to surgical solutions to help with the problem of varicose and spider veins. Some of the surgical solutions are more invasive than others. Most can be performed in the doctors office under local anesthesia. They vary in effectiveness and long term results and, of course, price.
The latest RF device, the VNUS ClosureFAST catheter, operates at cooler temperature than laser devices, sealing the vein in 3-5 minutes with virtually no discomfort to the patient. It is performed in the office with a local anesthetic, and the patient is in and out in less than an hour, usually resuming normal activity the next day. The leg pain and heaviness disappear almost immediately, and visible changes are evident in a few weeks.
Clinical studies have found the new procedure to be more than 97% effective, and because it is considered a medical necessity rather than a cosmetic procedure, it is often covered by Medicare and private health insurance. Patients are delighted to have the zip back in their legs and to be able to wear swim suits, shorts and other summer-wear for the first time in many years.