Want healthy legs?
Ge t healthy veins.
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Erica, an Allure Vein Center patient, comfortably relaxes as Dr. Georgeson and his team
perform varicose vein treatment on her leg.
Many people think of varicose veins as being
purely cosmetic concerns, but they’re not.
BY: LISA HOWARD any pain or swelling, it’s
no fun having ugly legs!
IN MANY cases, those
squiggly, raised veins are a
sign of venous insufficiency,
a condition that ranges from
being a daily annoyance to
one that causes debilitating
symptoms such as swelling,
aching, burning, and
itching. Many people also
say their legs feel fatigued
and restless; in some cases,
the discomfort they feel in
their legs keeps them up
at night. If varicose veins
persist long enough, the
skin surrounding them may
become blotchy, discolored,
and eventually ulcerated.
Even if you don’t experience So how do varicose veins
develop? It all comes down
to malfunctioning valves.
When blood circulates from
your heart to your legs, your
body relies on gravity to
pull the blood down and a
combination of valves and
muscles to push the blood
back up. Your leg muscles
flex, physically causing the
blood to flow upwards. And
as they do, valves within
the veins act as backflow
prevention devices: they
close after the blood has
flowed past them to keep
the blood from dropping
back down. Faulty valves
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that don’t completely
close off result in blood
backflowing and pooling
in the veins. Voilà!
Varicose veins … and
the swelling, heaviness,
and puffiness that goes
along with them.
Anyone can wind up with
varicose veins; they’re
not dependent on age
or lifestyle. Sometimes
being on your feet for
excessively long periods
of time can cause them,
or sometimes they may be
concomitant with diabetes
or arterial disease.
Sometimes they happen
for no apparent reason.
CASE 1: Erica
Erica experienced symptoms
for two years before she saw
a Facebook ad for free leg
exams for people in their
30's. That’s when she decided
to do something about the
soreness and pulling she
was feeling in her legs.
“It felt like the back
of my knee was being
constantly pulled
whenever I was walking
or standing. It was very
uncomfortable,” she says.
“I finally decided to have
something done about it since
I kept having problems.”
After having vein treatment
at Allure, she says her legs
feel lighter and no longer
restless. Better yet, the
pulling sensation is gone.