insideKENT Magazine Issue 70 - January 2018 | Page 82

FASHION+BEAUTY
PUT YOUR BEST
FOOT FORWARD
IN THE NEW YEAR!
WHETHER OR NOT NEW YEAR’S
RESOLUTIONS ARE YOUR THING,
JANUARY IS NONETHELESS A GOOD
TIME TO LOOK FORWARD AND MAKE
PLANS FOR THE YEAR. THIS MIGHT MEAN
YOU PLEDGE TO DO THAT THING THAT
YOU’VE BEEN PUTTING OFF – AND IF THAT
HAPPENS TO BE GETTING YOUR VARICOSE
VEINS LOOKED AT, THEN DO READ ON.
Dr Mo Faris
Firstly, you won’t be the only person reading
this article – varicose veins are very common,
affecting around 30 per cent of women and
15 per cent of men. They develop when the
small valves inside the veins stop working
properly. In a healthy vein, blood flows
smoothly to the heart and is prevented from
flowing backwards by a series of tiny valves
that open and close to let blood through. If
these valves weaken or are damaged, the
blood can flow backwards and collect in the
veins, eventually causing them to swell and
bulge through the skin; they are often dark
blue or purple in colour, making them more
noticeable.
While varicose veins aren’t always
troublesome, they can cause discomfort, and
some people feel self-conscious exposing
their legs. “These days, varicose veins are easily
treated, but it’s understandable that many
people have reservations about having a
surgical procedure,” says Dr Mo Faris, founder
of the Cooden Medical Group. “Until relatively
recently, the most effective treatment involved
a fairly major procedure carried out under
general anaesthetic in hospital to ‘strip out’
the problem veins, which took several weeks
for patients to recover from and often resulted
in the return of varicose veins.”
“The good news is that in recent years,
treatments for varicose veins have become
much less invasive and are much more
effective,” adds Dr Faris. “We use a technique
called ELVA, which means that you can walk
in, have your treatment, and walk out shortly
afterwards – you could theoretically have it
done during your lunch hour. The procedure
uses a laser to destroy the affected veins from
the inside, so that the surrounding tissues are
not damaged. As the veins are completely
destroyed, there is no chance of them
reappearing.”
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“WHILE VARICOSE VEINS AREN’T
ALWAYS TROUBLESOME, THEY CAN
CAUSE DISCOMFORT, AND SOME
PEOPLE FEEL SELF-CONSCIOUS
EXPOSING THEIR LEGS.”
Recovering from the treatment doesn’t take
long at all and you will be able to walk out of
the door minutes after the treatment is
completed. You may find your legs are a bit
sore and bruised initially, but there is no need
to put your feet up for a week – in fact it’s
recommended that you do as much walking
as you can after your treatment as this seems
to help the recovery process.
Varicose vein treatment is not normally
available on the NHS as it’s considered a
cosmetic procedure, but most people who
choose to undergo treatment feel that its cost
is worthwhile. If you decide to go ahead, make
sure you research different options and
facilities before making any decisions – look
at reviews online and ask your friends and
relatives for recommendations.
Cooden Medical Group’s Canterbury clinic
has regular open events for people to come
and find out more about varicose veins, meet
their doctors, and find out more about the
different treatments available. For further
information, please visit
www.coodenmedicalgroup.com,
or call 01227 903038.
The Canterbury Clinic
Orchard Street Mews
Orchard Street
Canterbury
Kent
CT2 8AP
CoodenMedical
coodenmedicalgroup