Varicose Vein and Wrinkles

By Dr. Hodgkin

Two questions which every Dermatologist hears on a regular basis are:
1. How do I get rid of my varicose veins?
2. How do I get rid of my wrinkles?

Both varicose veins and wrinkles develop over time for a variety of reasons. There are many steps which can be taken to prevent the development of varicose veins and wrinkles. And, there are various treatment options available to remove, or improve varicose veins and wrinkles.

Varicose Veins:

There is a hereditary tendency to get varicose veins. If your parents have varicose veins, you are more likely to develop them yourself.

Standing on your feet all day, crossing your legs and wearing high heel shoes all put increased stress on your veins, causing varicosity's. Regular exercise, raising your legs or support hose all decrease the tendency for blood to pool in your legs.

Once varicose veins have developed, treatment options are available depending on the size of the vein. Small veins may respond to laser therapy while slightly larger veins will need to have injections of scierosing agents to remove them. Very large varicose veins simply have to be surgically removed.

For all the treatment options, the final result is not evident for three to six weeks, as the bruising and varicose veins have to be restored by the body.

Wrinkles:

The main cause of wrinkling is the sun. From the time we are born, every minute the sun hits our skin, damage is being done. The ultraviolet light that damages the skin causing wrinkles, also leads to freckles, blotchy skin, redness, spider veins and skin cancer. Another cause of wrinkling is smoking. A combination of smoking and sun exposure will lead to severe wrinkling at a young age, as well as increased risk of skin cancer.

Daily use of SPF 15-45 sun screen, avoidance of sun exposure and smoking will decrease your risk of developing wrinkles, as well as skin cancer.

Once wrinkles have developed there are treatment options available. The safest way to treat wrinkles is with creams applied to the skin. Retin-A, Renova and the alpha hydroxy acid creams are effective in reversing the effects of sun damage, evening skin texture and color, as well as reversing the wrinkling process.

Fine lines and skin texture will improve first with treatment. Evening of the skin color and reversing wrinkling of the skin take more time and patients respond differently. Some patients will experience improvement of medium and larger wrinkles, while others will only see benefit in the fine lines.

More aggressive treatment, such as collagen injections, deep skin peels, or laser resurfacing offer dramatic improvement of medium and deeper wrinkles. After the peeling or laser resurfacing procedures, the healing process is longer, as the top layer of skin has been removed, leaving behind a full face scab. These more dramatic procedures also carry an increased risk of permanent scarring. Conclusion:

As varicose veins and wrinkles develop over time, following the above mentioned steps can decrease your risk of developing them in the first place.

If you have developed varicose veins or wrinkles, steps can be taken by your Dermatologist to minimize, reverse and even remove them.

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