‘Varicose Vein’

Alice was amazed at the whole treatment process.  She could walk out of the clinic the same day of her procedure, she was only  wrapped in surgical bandages to minimise bruising and was told to walk around to reduce the risk of blood clots. After the procedure, her legs ached for a couple of days, but were easily treated with painkillers. She only had to take two days work and her varicose veins had completely gone.

If you’ve wondered how celebrities of all ages get their show-stopping legs then here’s a few helpful tips to let you know how it’s done.

Many have celeb envy whether it’s to do with pearly white teeth, flawless skin, a pert bottom or toned legs. For me, nothing causes me to go greener that a perfect pair of toned legs.

Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow all have an a amazing pair of legs and they are of all ages. Golden and toned, their pins march through the advancing years seemingly unscathed by cellulite or veins.

So how do celebrities defy Mother Nature? The truth is that a lot of time and money goes into achieving perfection. Without the same attention, real women’s legs don’t always fare so well.

For many the sheer embarrassment of not having a perfect pair of legs cause many to cover up, in all seasons, concealing the problems underneath.

Unsightly Varicose Veins could be one of them. Tangled webs and bulging purple varicose veins commonly appear on the legs of older women. But, in some cases, they can also affect people in their 20s. ­ Thread veins can be a result of too much sun exposure, while spider and varicose veins are caused by faulty valves in leg veins, which fail to pump blood back up towards the heart, allowing it to pool in the legs. There are many causes including genes, menopause, pregnancy and obesity. In addition to the cosmetic problem, symptoms might include a heavy sensation in the legs as well as flare-ups of hot, itchy irritation.

Give your legs a makeover and improve their appearance so you don’t have to suffer any longer, emotionally and physically. For relief, taking regular exercise helps, as does spending time with legs elevated and wearing compression stockings. ­To rid legs of varicose veins, they can now be treated without surgery using the EVLA laser system. Celebrities get varicose veins, too. Both Sex in the City’s Kristin Davis and Britney Spears have reportedly sought treatment.

My mum has suffered terrible varicose veins all her life. She finds them very uncomfortable especially in the summer. I don’t even think I have ever seen wearing a skirt as she hates anybody seeing them. I read about EVLT and I think I could persuade her to finally have this sorted. she is 68. Is there an age limit to have the treatment done however?

Thanks for your enquiry. The simple answer is that there is no age limit to have the treatment done! We have had ladies at the age of 70 before who are thrilled with their result. Why EVLT is a good option for the elderly or those with busy schedules is because of its quick recovery time. Some may think that recovery may take longer when you are elder but this isn’t the case.

In many patients who have varicose veins symptoms experienced can be pain, itching, swelling, irritability, heaviness and damage to the skin of the leg. Many sufferers are embarrassed by the appearance of their varicose veins and often avoid exposing their legs so this is similar to your mother.

I would recommend bringing her into the clinic as she has left the problem for a long time now and symptoms can get worse over time. We can talk through the EVLT procedure with her in detail as having waited so long to have something done about her veins, or even the thought of it, can leave some with a feeling of anxiety/excitement. We’re here to help and inform.

As has been reported recently in the media, it is becoming increasingly difficult to receive treatment for varicose veins on the NHS, despite the fact that the majority of patients who have the condition suffer from often severe health complaints including tired, aching, heavy and swollen legs. However, as funding continues to be squeezed, varicose veins are increasingly being classed as an aesthetic rather than a medical issue and thus treatment is denied.

If you suffer from varicose veins, it is always worth getting a second opinion if you are initially denied treatment. However, if your Primary Care Trust has imposed strict guidelines on offering treatment, then the chances are you will still be turned away.

This means that for many people seeking treatment privately is the only option, although of course this is not a possibility for everyone.

If you do opt for private treatment, then endovenus laser treatment, or EVLT, which is carried out under local anaesthetic, is the best option. EVLT uses a laser beam to seal of the varicose vein from the surrounding blood supply. With the blood supply cut off, the offending vein will simply be reabsorbed by the body and the blood flow will be diverted to other, healthy veins. This results in the varicose vein disappearing from view, and immediate alleviation from the aches and pains that it was causing.

If you have been refused treatment by your PCT and are not in a position to pay privately then you should monitor your varicose veins closely and continue to return to your GP if your condition worsens. Varicose veins are still technically a condition treated by the NHS, so if your PCT can be convinced of the worsening health implications, then you may finally be offered treatment.

The ever conscious world of celebrity have easily fallen into a routine of punishing  workouts to keep their body fat very lean. Keeping an eye on your weight and taking healthy gym visits is not a bad thing but it appears the results are less than pleasing to the eye.

Most have lean, slender bodies and healthy skin but there are some culprits to the bony framed and bulging veins look. Intensely veiny hands, and pumped up forearms has been common which is usually associated to a body builder but instead has been apparent in some of our beautiful celebrities – namely Madonna and Sarah-Jessica Parker.

Sex and the City star Sarah-Jessica Parker is known for her style and fashion but has often, dressed in her beautiful designer gowns, revealed her sinewy veiny arms. I’d be first to admit the envy I have for her fashion sense and slim figure but her daily exercise regime sounds gruelling and some can argue, taken too far.

We know the pressure for A-listers to stay extra slim for starring roles and even for the judgemental public eye and media, is immense, but the over-exercising trend has limits doesn’t it?

Madonna also has often been snapped on her way to the gym, next door to her house, and often papped with bulging veins.

I asked our vascular surgeon Dr Kyriakides why they bulge so much and he said “It is a sign of being healthy but some can be genetically prone to having large veins. However over training can result in this too. There is no fat to disguise them.”

At The Private Clinic we have pioneered a new laser treatment for veins on hands which is a great advancement in compare to more traditional procedures. Already available in the States, The Private Clinic has recently brought this revolutionary treatment to the UK. Consultant Vascular Surgeon, Constantinos Kyriakides, is the only surgeon to perform EVLT on the hands in Europe and he offers this treatment exclusively at The Private Clinic of Harley Street.

Prominent veins on the hands can also give away tell tale signs of their age making some look older than they actually are and even more so if you are slim!

If you’re naturally lean, gym obsessed or conscious of the veiny look, then there’s something here to think about. The Treatment we offer at The Private Clinic (EVLT(tm) – Endovenous Laser Treatment) is a new, minimally invasive method of treating veins on the hands.

Curious – then the doctor and I are here to give you more info!

Bee

My mum has suffered terrible varicose veins all her life. She finds them very uncomfortable especially in the summer. I don’t even think I have ever seen wearing a skirt as she hates anybody seeing them. I read about EVLT and I think I could persuade her to finally have this sorted. she is 68. Is there an age limit to have the treatment done however?

Thanks for your enquiry. The simple answer is that there is no age limit to have the treatment done! We have had ladies at the age of 70 before who are thrilled with their result. Why EVLT is a good option for the elderly or those with busy schedules is because of its quick recovery time. Some may think that recovery may take longer when you are elder but this isn’t the case.

In many patients who have varicose veins symptoms experienced can be pain, itching, swelling, irritability, heaviness and damage to the skin of the leg. Many sufferers are embarrassed by the appearance of their varicose veins and often avoid exposing their legs so this is similar to your mother.

I would recommend bringing her into the clinic as she has left the problem for a long time now and symptoms can get worse over time. We can talk through the EVLT procedure with her in detail as having waited so long to have something done about her veins, or even the thought of it, can leave some with a feeling of anxiety/excitement. We’re here to help and inform.

I have a 2 month old baby and in pregnancy I developed what I think is a varicose vein behind the knee of my right leg. Is this a result of the pregnancy or would it have come anyway? Will it go away on its own or should it have disappeared immediately after the birth of my son? Denise, London

Hi Denise

Thanks for your question, varicose veins during pregnancy is common and happens when your baby is growing, the placenta and your uterus weigh down on the veins in your pelvis. These include the large vein on the right-hand side of your body.

This major blood vessel has to work hard. It receives blood from your lower limbs and most of the organs in your pelvis and belly. The pressure on this large vein makes it harder for the blood from your legs to make its return journey to your heart.

What also happens is that you have more blood circulating round your pregnant body and the hormone progesterone relaxes your blood vessel walls.

So with this all in mind it is likely for the vein in your leg to become swollen, or varicose. To answer your question the vein would have come anyway. If it does not go away within 3 months of delivery then it will stay unless treated. EVLT treatment is an effective and quick way to treat varicose veins which wont affect your daily activities or get in the way of looking after your baby.

Call us for more info if you would like.

Thanks

Dr Costas Kyriakides

Earlier this week the Daily Mail wrote about the latest treatment for painful varicose veins in the form of hot steam. The device that’s smaller than a ­matchstick, sprays super-hot steam into blood vessels to ­treat painful varicose veins. Instantly this caught my attention as it maybe the ‘next best thing’!

The steam ablation treatment is said to shrink and destroy swollen veins. However the technique is very similar to the EVLT (Endovenous Laser Treatment).

EVLT is a minimally invasive technique to close the varicose veins. In the first instance an ultrasound scan is carried out to mark the position of the vein. Local anaesthetic is injected around the vein and a fine probe is then inserted through a small incision, usually near the knee. Laser energy is delivered in short pulses to seal the faulty vein so that blood cannot flow through. The leg is then bandages to reduce swelling and bruising.

In The Steam Vein Sclerosis (SVS) ­system mentioned in the Daily Mail, consists of a steam generator and handpiece that injects tiny pulses or puffs of steam via a catheter into the vein. The treatment, carried out under local anaesthetic, produces ­temperatures of up to 120c to heat the vein, causing the walls to collapse. The catheter is slowly pulled back to treat the entire vein.

So the principle is the same, heat is used to close off the vein and as such it is not an advancement in technique. Our Vascular surgeons have had a 95% success rate with the EVLT technique and praise from every one of our patients has been very high! However I thought I’d test the waters with this steam technique and brought it to our surgeons’ attention, the response, ’”A success rate of 13 out of 20 in one year (65%) ……… Thanks but no thanks!”

Our dedication and commitment in bringing the latest techniques to the market is extremely high and our surgeons support just this, on the condition that the latest techniques are effective. We can sit tight with EVLT for now; there is no point in re-inventing the wheel as they say!

Bee

When Sarah Woods, 35, met her new partner James in advertising, she quickly wanted to change something specific about her appearance which previously had held her back. As a teenager Sarah suffered from varicose veins and always covered her legs up. With a new partner and a bigger social life she wanted to ooze with confidence and wear the skirts and dresses she longed for. “EVLT at The Private Clinic was the best decision I made” said Sarah.

Since being a teenager I have suffered from varicose veins, they got progressively worse as time went by, and as a result I felt really uncomfortable showing my legs. Summertime was daunting as I didn’t wear skirts or go to the local swimming pools and I never showed my legs to close family, even my boyfriend. Furthermore my legs were constantly sore and itchy.

My mother also suffered from varicose veins until she went on the NHS to have them removed by the traditional stripping method. I saw her go through a lot of pain and it took a long time for her to recover. Although I wanted my varicose veins removed I really didn’t want to go through what my mother did.

It was then when I discovered The Private Clinic.

My boyfriend, James, knowing how uncomfortable I was about my legs told me he read about a minimally-invasive procedure called endovenous laser treatment (EVLT). We talked about it and I instantly did my research and booked myself in for a consultation at The Private Clinic. The opportunity to remove my varicose veins without surgery was something I couldn’t pass up; it seemed a far better way to get rid of them compared to having them done on the NHS.

I didn’t really know what to expect before going to The Private Clinic. James came with me and I had an appointment with Dr Kyriakides. The clinic was really nice, I’d never been to a private doctor, and everyone there was so helpful and friendly. The doctor talked things through; he asked me lots of questions about my medical history and the troubles I had experienced as a result of the veins. He then examined both of my legs, one leg had veins far bigger than the other, but both were pretty bad.

The doctor did an ultra sound scan of my legs. We both asked him plenty of questions about the treatment and the after effects and he was very helpful.

I decided to go ahead with the procedure.

In my mind I prefer not to dwell on things too much but the day before I started to get quite nervous. Although I was also quite excited about the prospect of getting rid of my veins. Fortunately, having kids meant I had plenty going on to take my mind off things.

I arrived at the clinic and the nurse was really nice and everyone there put me at ease. Dr Kyriakides came across really confidently which helped. During the treatment I stayed quite calm, the anaesthetic meant I couldn’t really feel much, just the occasional tug and movement but it wasn’t too bad and was over pretty quickly.

After the procedure my legs were bound with bandages to compress them and I was able to walk and get myself home. I felt fine at this point and good with anticipation knowing that my veins were all gone. Once the anaesthetic started to wear off I did find it uncomfortable so I took some painkillers which helped. In terms of discomfort the first few days were the worst, but my case was quite severe. I had left it more than 20 years to treat my varicose veins!

The bandages came off a couple of days later; I was really anxious about this and scared that it would hurt without them on. Once they came off I had some relief and also far more mobility. The discomfort eased over the next week, and the small cuts that were made during the operation healed. I can’t believe how great my legs look! The veins have gone and my legs are smooth, it’s amazing!

I would say I was back to normal life within a week. I went back for a check-up at the clinic and was told that the things I had experienced were quite normal. It’s now about 3 months since I had it done and I don’t think twice about it anymore, it was definitely worth everything! From speaking to my mum the experience I had was far better than what she went through, and I’d got back to normal life far quicker. My legs look incredible, I’ve looked back at photos from before my visit to the clinic and the difference is nothing short of drastic. I just wish I had had it done sooner!