One of the most annoying cosmetic challenges women face is the gradual appearance of tiny broken blood vessels and swollen veins, especially in the legs. Varicose veins are superficial veins near the skin’s surface that become damaged, causing them to swell with blood and become twisted.
While in most cases varicose veins do not pose any health threats, they are not very pretty, and they may cause embarrassment when you wear a bathing suit or shorts. In some cases varicose veins can cause pain and discomfort.
Understanding Varicose Veins
Your arteries carry oxygenated nutrient-rich blood to cells throughout your body, and your veins are responsible for returning deoxygenated blood and cellular waste back to your heart and lungs. Arterial blood is delivered under relatively high pressure, while venous blood pressure is fairly low. As your leg muscles contract, they help pump venous blood upward against the force of gravity.
Veins have one-way valves that prevent blood from going the wrong way. However, over time blood vessels can become damaged, and valves may leak, allowing back-flow and pooling. Veins then become swollen with blood and may begin to twist, causing varicose veins.
Risk factors for varicose veins include:
- Family history of varicose veins
- Female gender (although men can get them too)
- Pregnancy
- Advancing age
- Obesity
Treatment for Varicose Veins
There are a number of invasive surgical treatments for varicose veins, but the procedures can be costly and the results are often less than satisfactory.
Non-invasive treatments include:
- Elevating the legs to facilitate blood flow to the heart
- Wearing compression stockings to reduce swelling and improve circulation
- Regular rhythmic exercise like walking
- Consuming foods containing flavonoids like blueberries, red wine, black tea, dark
- chocolate and parsley
- Using anti-inflammatory medications to reduce pain and swelling
Cryotherapy to Blast Varicose Veins
One of the properties of blood vessels is their ability to constrict and dilate in response to internal or environmental stimuli. During a cryotherapy session, cold nitrogen gas drops the temperature of you skin and superficial veins to below freezing. In response, your superficial blood vessels constrict, pushing blood away from the cold surface to the warmth of the viscera, and shrinking your varicose and spider veins.
Repeated cryotherapy session can help to improve the appearance of your legs by enhancing circulation and reducing swelling in your veins. Cryotherapy is much less expensive than surgery, and it brings with it many other health benefits as well, including:
- Improved overall circulation
- Healthier skin
- Increased metabolism
- More productive sleep
- Reduced inflammation
- Reduced muscle and joint pain
- Release of feel-good hormones
Your cryotherapy session only takes a few minutes, and its benefits are well worth the time. Try whole body cryotherapy for overall health benefits, or opt for localized cryotherapy that zeros in on your varicose veins. Either way, your varicose veins will begin to shrink and disappear.
Cryotherapy in NYC
Whether you live in New York or simply plan to visit, InVita Cryo NYC in the heart of trendy SoHo is the place to go for localized or whole body cryotherapy. We even offer CryoFacials to reduce puffiness and enhance beauty. When you visit InVita Cryo NYC, be sure to ask about our unique menu of additional services and treatments for health, beauty and rejuvenation.
