A revolutionary
new treatment called Veinwave promises to shift unsightly spider veins
which more than half the female population suffer from. LUCY MILLER discovers
more
A NEW treatment to zap thread veins has just arrived in Britain to address
the problem that affects 55 per cent of women. Called Veinwave, the treatment
was developed in France and is claimed to have immediate results. Thread
veins, also called spider veins, are targeted one by one with what looks
like a ballpoint pen.
A high-frequency current is sent through a very fine needle to each
vein in turn. The heat is intense and causes the wall of the vein and
the blood within it to break up or coagulate. "They immediately
disappear and will not come back," says Dr Jean Luc Richard, a vascular
specialist at the Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris who has been using
Veinwave for the past 14 months. "There is no risk of complications.
It is safe, quick and pain-free. It's a 'walk in, walk out' treatment."
Thread veins are extremely common. They are often inherited or caused
by pregnancy, being overweight, excessive heat or a knock. Existing treatments
either involve using a laser or injecting a sclerosant, an inflammatory
solution which irritates the wall of the vein so it then collapses.
Veinwave takes a different approach called thermo-coagulation — often
used in surgery.
Emma Bailey, 26, a recruitment consultant from north London, was one
of the first people in Britain to test out Veinwave. She could see the
thread veins simply disappear on her leg as each one in turn was treated. "You
can feel it, you know it's going on but it's not like an injection. It's
more like a pin prick," she says.
A session lasts just 10-15 minutes, but practitioners say that 40-50cm
of thread veins can be treated in that time and on any part of the body.
The treatment leaves no bruising. Instead, there are often small red
marks which then become micro-crusts, or scratches. These are gone within
a couple of days.
"Veinwave has all kinds of advantages over the alternative treatments
for thread veins," says Dr Brian Newman, a consultant vascular surgeon
in Manchester who has been involved in developing and testing the procedure. "Sclerotherapy
cannot be used on veins with a diameter of less than 0.3mm, which rules
out most thread veins. It cannot be used on the feet or face and it also
requires bandages. Laser treatments can target veins of less than 0.3mm
but there can be a risk of burns and pigmentation."
Veinwave is not suitable for anyone with a pacemaker, or who is pregnant
or an epileptic.
"I'm really pleased with the outcome," says Emma. "The
thread veins have completely gone. It seems a very easy way to get rid
of them and it didn't even hurt."
Veinwave is available from clinics nationwide. For further information
and details of your nearest practitioner telephone 01204 842830 or visit
the website at www.veinwave.com.
DAILY EXPRESS
GOOD HEALTH SECTION
July 10th 2001 |
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