HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Approximately 23 percent of U.S. adults have varicose veins, those ugly lines in the legs that can be faint and thin, or thick and bulging.
With a family history of varicose veins, 44-year-old Wellington Hernandez Ceron wasn’t too surprised when he started having problems with them seven years ago.
“I can tell you I used to wake every morning and I feel my legs like they were weighing 20 pounds,” he said.
Vein specialist Dr. Susan Fox said varicose veins affect 22 million women and 11 million men and tend to get worse with age.
“It is very prevalent and it’s pretty much equal men and women, it’s about 45 percent women and 45 percent men and frankly I think that’s just men noticing it less often,” Fox said.
The biggest risk factors include genetics, hormonal changes like pregnancy, medical conditions such as venous insufficiency and studies have shown that people who spend long periods of time on their feet every day are also highly susceptible to varicose veins.
Cases like Ceron’s used to require invasive surgery under general anesthesia.
“High risk of nerve injury and blood clots and a lot of problems,” Fox said.
But recently the FDA approved a foam called Varithena that’s injected into the vein to close it down and seal it shut.
“It’s a very easy procedure, done in the office, it’s done in a matter of minutes and people can go back to their normal lives,” Fox said.
After a couple of weeks in compression hose, Ceron was pain and vein free.
“I feel really good,” he said.
The procedure is covered by most medical insurance.
For those without coverage, the out-of-pocket cost ranges from $700 to $1200.