Note from Julyne: I'm on vacation this week, so I'm re-running some popular blog posts, including this one from 2010.
These are my legs in a self-portrait taken on my recent vacation to Tulum, Mexico. I have worked with David Edwards, my personal trainer at the Rockefeller Center New York Sports Club twice a week for more than two years so I feel I've earned these legs and from the front they look great, but the sides of my legs have big, blue spider veins running from the top of my thighs down to my knees.
For years I've thought about getting them checked out by a phlebotomist because my mother had varicose veins on her left leg, huge ones that popped out and hurt her terribly and I've been worried that someday veins might pop out of my legs in a similar fashion. Plus, I am a bit self conscious about them when at the beach. I did my research and made an appointment at The Vein Treatment Center on Manhattan's Upper East Side. I liked that this established facility solely treated vein problems and had been doing so for 28 years. Plus, women flock here from Europe to get their veins treated!
After a consultation where I learned vein problems are largely inherited, and a doppler exam to test the functionality of the veins in my legs (I am in good shape and in no danger of varicose veins), I decided to go ahead with the treatment to remove the unsightly veins. It took about 15 minutes for Dr. Luis Navarro to make about 25 injections per leg into the visible veins on my legs. Some of the shots didn't hurt at all, others stung but not as much as a bee sting or the dreaded laser hair removal. (I did take two ibuprofen tablets for pain about half an hour before the procedure). The cost was $500 and I was sent home with orders to buy support hose, which I wore overnight and for two days.
So far the results are exciting. The unsightly blue veins have almost completely disappeared as if they've been erased. I do have bruising, which is expected to last about two weeks total. I am going back tomorrow for another session and to see how I'm progressing. I expect I'll need a couple more treatments. So far, so good. I'll let you all know how tomorrow goes.
The Vein Treatment Center, 327 East 65th Street, New York, N.Y. 10021. Phone: (212) 249-6117.
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