BC Laser and Skincare Clinic
 
 
About UsWhat's NewCosmetic ProceduresTreatable ConditionsPhoto GalleryContact Us

Blog

Skin Care

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Guilt

This morning I had a very nice lady come in for treatment of her Varicose Veins. She is a single mom and she has worked very hard to give her child an excellent upbringing and she has scrimped and save, and spent time with him to make sure he does well. She made a comment though that she feels very guilty taking care of her varicose veins as it really is "stupid" She refuses to wear shorts because of the veins and otherwise has a great set of legs. So this time in a sense of a guilty treat for her self she is doing something for herself. Once she has got rid of the veins she will feel great and realise that she feels great about herself and her son. It is a win/win situation.

Bookmark and Share

Labels:

Bookmark and Share

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Spider Veins

Some more thoughts about spider veins.

  1. Spider veins are like little roadmaps stuck on the skin. They are very tiny superficial blood vessels that increase in size over time and usually occur on the legs. But they can occur any where on the body.

  2. Some people are more likely to get them if they have blood relations with people who have them. If you stand a lot in your work you may get them as well. Anything that increases pressure in the venous system of the legs will cause them.

  3. Crossing your legs does not cause them. Everyone crosses their legs and it does not occur in everyone.

  4. Treating the veins by tanning actually may make them worse due to tanning breaking the skin collagen down.

  5. Losing weight may increase the veins as losing fat from the skin unmasks the veins

  6. Vitamin supplements and horse chest nut does not help reduce the veins.

  7. Treating the spider veins with sclerotherapy is regarded as the gold standard. Lasers can be used but then you have to treat the veins slowly and it is painful.


Labels: , ,

Bookmark and Share

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Varicose Vein treatment using Ultrasound

Ultrasound Guided Sclerotherapy (UGS) is a safe and highly effective procedure that eliminates diseased veins that have traditionally required surgical removal.

Sclerotherapy was thought to be effective with spider veins and small varicose veins that remain after surgery. Neither surgery nor sclerotherapy can prevent new varicose veins from developing as a result of the natural progression of this chronic condition. However, UGS offers a less traumatic, less costly alternative to gain and maintain control. Your specialist has undergone specialized training required in order to treat the saphenous axis by sclerotherapy.

Duplex ultrasound (DUS) is the key to the success of this procedure. First, it locates the diseased "saphenous" vein(s) hidden from view that cause the bulging on the surface. Next, DUS guides both the placement of and the number of injections required according to each individual patient. Follow-up DUS examinations will confirm success, and guide additional treatment if necessary. At BC LASER we possess an advanced Duplex Ultrasound Machine.

The success of both surgery and sclerotherapy depend on accurate control of all reflux (backward flow) points. With recent advances, both methods now share a similarly high success rate when performed by experienced practitioners who were able to accurately target veins using DUS.

Unfortunately, varicose vein disease is not curable. Like many other chronic medical conditions such as diabetes or hypertension, it requires ongoing care and surveillance after the initial course of treatment gains control. Treatment in the earlier stages helps avert unpleasant complications (leg ulcers, dermatitis, phlebitis, blood clots), and relieve bothersome symptoms.

We can work with to find the best course of treatment for you.

Labels:

Bookmark and Share

Friday, April 3, 2009

Don't I need all of my veins. If you treat them what will happen?

The veins that we treat are already diseased and are not functioning properly (or pumping blood). Therefore, your body has already created new, healthy veins to take over and do the work for the failed ones. Removing the varicosities actually improves your circulation by forcing the pooling blood out of the failed vein and into surrounding, healthy veins.

Labels:

Bookmark and Share

I've heard that sclerotherapy does not work and that my spider veins will just come back - is this true?

Sclerotherapy done badly and/or with an ineffective sclerosant such as saline does have a high recurrence rate. This is why training in phlebology is important. Also, we use Ultrasound Guided Sclerotherapy to accurate pick off for removal the offending veins.

Labels:

Bookmark and Share

I've heard that varicose veins are just a cosmetic problem. Can this be true? I am in so much pain

Less than 20% of the procedures performed for varicose veins at the BC Laser and Skin Care are done for purely cosmetic reasons. Varicose veins can cause pain, swelling, phlebitis and sometimes hemorrhage. We have treated dozens of patients whose severe venous ulcerations have been present or recurrent for several years, and many of them have experienced long lasting healing within a few weeks.

Labels:

Bookmark and Share

Find out about common
skin care solutions:
Book a Cosmetic Procedure Consultation Today
Cosmetic Procedure Blog
1-866-MY SKIN2 (697-5462)
604-594-2714
info@bclaser.ca

RSS Feeds

© 2007 BC Laser & Skin Care Clinic. All rights reserved. | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer
Vancouver Web Design by Graphically Speaking