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Don’t Be Blue
HOW TO GET RID OF VARICOSE VEINS
ENLARGED VEINS aren’t pretty, it’s true. Worse,
they can cause leg heaviness, pain, swelling, skin
ulcers, and even blood clots. Fortunately, your
body doesn’t need all of its veins. In the past,
removing varicose veins required painful surgery
and a hospital stay, but newer outpatient techniques are quicker and easier. Ask your doctor
which is best for you. —Melissa Gotthardt
THE PROBE APPROACH
With endovenous ablation treatment, a laser catheter
or heated probe is inserted into the vein through a tiny
incision. After a 20- to 30-minute treatment, the vein
collapses. Most patients experience mild bruising and
pain that fade in a week to ten days; collapsed veins
fade from view as normal body mechanisms absorb
the tissue over three to six months.
CHEMICAL CLEAR
Instead of using heat, sclerotherapy collapses veins
by introducing a chemical sclerosant, or irritant, that
breaks down fats and proteins in vein walls, causing the
veins to close. Liquid sclerosant is used to treat smaller
varicose veins, while newer foam preparations are gaining favor for treating larger veins. Sclerotherapy takes
about 20 minutes to perform, and patients feel a burning sensation as the chemical enters the vein. Bruising
subsides within weeks, and veins fade within months.
IN-AND-OU T SURGERY
A modified surgical approach known as mini-phlebec-
tomy removes veins outright without a hospital stay.
The procedure requires several small incisions and gen-
erally lasts from 45 minutes to two hours, says Hector
Ferral, M.D., director of interventional radiology at Rush
University Medical Center in Chicago. Unless parts
of the vein are left behind, erasure is immediate, and
recovery is similar to that with ablation: moderate pain
and bruising, with a return to normal activity within 48
hours and to vigorous activity after a week to ten days.
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Spice It,
Eat Less
A new way to
lose weight
without trying
KEEP IN MIND
Your health and the
location and severity
of your varicose veins
can determine who
should remove
them—a cosmetic
surgeon, vascular
surgeon, or interventional radiologist, for
example—so discuss
the options with your
doc. Then take full
advantage of consultations. Ask specialists about their
success rates, since
varicose veins can recur, and even the latest removal methods
carry risks, including
blood clots, scarring,
infection, and nerve
damage. Costs vary
widely based on what
you’re having done
and where you live,
but expect to pay a
minimum of $500
to $1,500 per leg.
And ask about insurance—many plans
will cover at least
some of the costs. ;
FROM TOP: INGRAM PUBLISHING (SUPERS TOCK LIMITED)/ALAM Y; ILLUS TRATION B Y CHRIS LYONS
Boosting the flavor of the foods you eat can help you slim down. Overweight people
who added salty or sweet flavor crystals to their food for six months lost an average of
30. 5 pounds in a study at Chicago’s Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation.
The flavor crystals are available online, but you don’t necessarily need them, says the
researcher, Alan Hirsch, M. D. Sniffing your food, chewing thoroughly, and using herbs
and spices liberally all make you feel fuller, so you eat less. —M.G.
