Varicose veins are very common and are hereditary. They often appear between the ages of twenty and thirty and usually get worse with age. They can also worsen following pregnancy and with prolonged standing. Compression stockings provide graduated compression (that is, more compression at the ankle level) and may help prevent the progression of varicose veins, whereas support pantyhose provide only haphazard, irregular compression (usually where it is not needed) and are of no benefit in varicose vein prevention. Compression stockings are essential for those with varicose veins and should be worn on a daily basis by people who have a tendency towards varicose veins or who are standing for long periods of time each day. They are also useful during pregnancy and for long airplane journeys. Mild compression stockings are very sheer and are available in many fashionable colours. These are good for everyday wear. During treatment for varicose veins and during pregnancy moderate compression stockings are recommended.People traditionally associate treatment of varicose veins with extensive surgery, causing unsightly scars and prolonged convalescence. Nowadays, the trend in treatment is to perform limited surgery in addition to sclerotherapy (injection of the veins). While surgery is essential for veins which originate in the groin, others can be successfully treated with sclerotherapy as an outpatient procedure, causing minimal interference with a person’s normal lifestyle.There are now also methods of identifying abnormal veins, by Doppler Ultrasound and Duplex scanning, which mean that surgery can be more accurately planned and only ‘faulty’ veins removed. As a result, surgery is less traumatic, there is less scarring and recovery is quicker.Sclerotherapy is an excellent alternative to surgery for minor varicose veins, requiring no hospitalization and a good, long-term cosmetic result. Minor veins can also be removed by a ‘microsurgical’ technique, whereby the veins are removed through a micropuncture and extracted with a hook which resembles a crochet needle (called a Muller hook). This latter technique leaves only imperceptible scars.
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Melanin, the pigment protein, is formed In specialized cells found in the basal layer (growth area) of the epidermis. This melanin, which is what gives skin its colour, also protects the skin to a certain extent from sunburn by absorbing sunlight. It does not however protect the skin from chronic sun exposure, which may result in serious damage. The harmful effects of sunlight are due not only to ultraviolet radiation A and B. but also to infra-red waves (heat) and visible light, which have recently been shown to activate and augment the effect of the ultraviolet.
Following sun exposure, and exposure to UV radiation in particular, immediate and then, later, long-term effects will appear. The most immediate and obvious result is redness, which will proceed to burning, blistering, and peeling if exposure is prolonged, or will fade if exposure is terminated. If this is repeated without over-exposure, pigmentation or tanning will take place. Initially, what is termed immediate tanning occurs. This is transient, and is due to oxidation of the skin’s existing melanin. It is produced mainly by UV A radiation. True tanning, which takes much longer but which persists for weeks, involves the formation of new melanin. This is produced mainly by UVB radiation.
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