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We’ve recently covered several of the possible causes of varicose veins, as well as some of the more serious risks to health that can accompany them; today, we’ll list several ways that you can stop existing varicose veins from getting worse.

Exercise

Regular exercise will give you a wide range of health benefits, including general improvements to blood circulation that lies at the root of most varicose veins problems. Focused leg exercises can help ease situations where poor circulation in the legs results in swelling or itchy sensations, and cardiovascular (or aerobic) exercises like brisk walking, running, jogging, or swimming will increase your heart’s ability to circulate blood efficiently throughout the body.

Ideally, exercise should occupy at least 30 minutes, but even 10-minutes of physical activity once or twice a day will give lasting benefits over time. If you’re unable to engage in strenuous exercises, even regular walking will help you to boost your overall health.

Lose Weight

If you’re overweight (whether it’s by just a few pounds or if you’re classified as obese), losing weight will reduce the stress on your legs that contributes to developing varicose veins, as well as helping to stop new varicose veins from developing. Obviously, losing weight, whether through exercise or diet, also helps to improve your general health and reduces your chances of developing a host of other problems, including heart disease, diabetes, or strokes.

Stop Smoking

Smoking may not be a primary cause of varicose veins, but smoking has a marked effect on blood vessel health and blood circulation in general. Stopping (or reducing) smoking will greatly assist you in improving your overall health and make it much easier to increase the amount of exercise you perform.

Avoid Lengthy Inactivity

Standing still or sitting for extended periods helps blood pooling and is a significant cause of the blood circulation problems that lead to varicose veins. Try hard to break up long periods when you’re inactive by going for a short walk, stretching, and by changing your posture. Sitting with your feet elevated will help blood flow away from your legs and is recommended as a way to counteract lengthy periods spent standing up.

Avoid Tight Clothing

Anything that restricts blood flow is to be avoided, and that includes tight clothing, especially when it places extra pressure on or around your legs. High heels can also restrict blood flow around the ankles, with similar negative results. Specialized support hose can actually help improve blood circulation by applying pressure evenly around the ankles, resulting in improved blood circulation in the rest of the legs.

Wear Sunscreen

Wearing sunscreen to reduce varicose veins might seem like an unlikely piece of advice, but it’s actually quite reasonable. Excessive UV rays from sunlight can damage collagen fibers that help form the walls of blood vessels that lay close to the surface, which in turn can result in spider veins developing. Light-complexioned people are especially prone to this form of skin damage.

Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care is medically qualified and highly experienced — we offer a full range of services, including a full diagnosis of the cause of your varicose veins and advice on the best ways to treat the condition. We have extensive experience providing both laser vein therapy and Sclerotherapy treatments and a host of other non-invasive cosmetic procedures. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation or visit us online for more information.

Applying eyelash extensions may seem like an attractive proposition – they look good, last for several weeks, and require minimal maintenance. However, there are several compelling arguments why applying them may not represent the wisest decision. Here are some of the factors you should consider before choosing them:

Main Negatives

Eyelash extensions are individually glued onto your natural eyelashes – this is labor-intensive (and hence not cheap) and does require that the procedure be performed by someone experienced. Depending on the glue used, you risk irritation, redness, and possibly itchy or swollen eyelids. Some eyelash glues contain toxins, so you have to do your homework to minimize the chance of complications. Unfortunately, some practitioners use wholly inappropriate adhesives (including nail glue), and standards of hygiene vary widely.

There are other drawbacks – artificial eyelashes can harbor bacteria, risking infection. And as extensions are physically anchored to your real eyelashes and exert extra pressure on them, they can actually accelerate the rate your natural eyelashes fall out. And when your real eyelashes fall out, so will the extensions attached to them.

Other Considerations

To prolong the time between re-applying extensions, you’ll probably be advised to avoid getting them wet or exposing them to steam while showering for 24-48 hours. And applying mascara to extensions can also cause problems – especially when removing mascara, you risk weakening or breaking off the extensions. Even regular eyeliner can break down the eyelash glue over time.

And if you ever decide to remove the artificial extensions, you run the risk that your natural eyelashes will be damaged by that process, leaving you looking worse than when you started!

An Alternative FDA-Approved Procedure

Interestingly there’s an FDA-approved treatment that is proven effective at darkening, thickening, and lengthening natural eyelashes. Latisse is a liquid that is applied to the upper eyelids at nighttime and naturally stimulates the growth of more lustrous eyelashes over time.

The extra eyelash growth starts to appear over the course of a month or two after treatment, resulting in slow, natural-looking improvements that continue to develop for another month or two. You switch to using a lower dose of Latisse after about 4 months, allowing you to maintain the benefits as long as needed.

Other Benefits

You’re able to combine the use of Latisse with your regular eyeliner and mascara, and you don’t need to take special precautions when removing makeup at the end of the day. Your enhanced eyelashes are 100% natural and don’t require any special maintenance or precautions.

Side Effects

Occasional side effects are caused by using Latisse, so consulting with a doctor before treatment is highly recommended. Latisse cannot be used by patients suffering from certain medical conditions or by pregnant or nursing mothers, as is the case with any procedure contact the doctor if you experience any unusual symptoms or discomfort afterward.

Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care is medically qualified and highly experienced in the use of Latisse. We offer a full range of services, including diagnosis of the cause of your cosmetic problems and advice on the best ways to treat the condition. We have extensive experience providing a host of other non-invasive cosmetic procedures and pride ourselves on offering the most effective as well as the most cost-effective solution. Call us at (323) 457-8740 to schedule a free consultation or visit us online for more information. We are happy to answer any questions you may have on the most effective way to address whatever cosmetic issues trouble you.

Although varicose veins can affect both men and women, women are between two and four times more likely to develop them – with up to half of the women eventually suffering from varicose and/or spider veins.

Hormone Levels and Varicose Veins

The circulation problems that lead to varicose veins affect both men and women, so why are women disproportionately more likely to develop them? It appears that changes in hormone levels can affect how well the one-way valves in our blood vessels work. These valves normally prevent blood from flowing “backward” inside our veins and also help blood flow against the force of gravity. They’re mainly located in our arms and legs. Our arteries, in contrast, do not contain one-way valves.

The female hormone that has the main effect on one-way valves is progesterone. Aside from its main purpose of helping to regulate the menstrual cycle and the health of the uterus, it can also result in the blood vessel walls relaxing. This can have the unfortunate side-effect of disrupting normal blood flow and causing long-term damage to the blood vessel valves. Estrogen can also affect blood circulation, and hence women taking hormonal-based contraceptives can also see their chance of developing varicose veins increase.

And as if this weren’t enough, normal pregnancies and ultimately menopause also disrupt hormone levels, with associated negative effects on blood vessel health.

Pregnancy

The temporary changes to a woman’s body during pregnancy will often result in varicose veins starting to develop – this can be due to the extra demands placed on the blood circulation system by the need to support a growing baby, but also by purely physical pressure that the baby places on interior veins. In most cases, pregnancy-induced varicose veins will go away following delivery.

Hereditary Causes

Whether due to hormonal problems or not, your chances of developing varicose veins are mainly determined by genetic (hereditary) factors. Over 75% of patients with varicose veins also have close relatives with similar problems.

Reducing Your Chance of Developing Varicose Veins

Keeping active, eating a balanced diet, and avoiding smoking and excessive eating and alcohol consumption will increase your overall health and reduce your chances of developing varicose or spider veins. Unfortunately, they may not be enough to eliminate your chance of developing the problem, especially if you’re a woman.

Wearing tight clothes or high heels and/or spending extended periods standing or sitting can also impact your blood circulation, which (over extended periods) may result in blood vessel and valve damage. So try to wear comfortable loose clothing, and try to vary your body position, and generally keep active. Note that special support hose can help improve blood circulation – they’re not built the same as regular pantyhose and apply most pressure at the ankle.

Treatment

Non-invasive laser vein therapy and Sclerotherapy procedures are available. They can help to reduce the appearance of varicose or spider veins. Still, it’s also strongly recommended to seek qualified medical advice in case your varicose veins could be caused by other more significant health problems. Untreated varicose veins can lead to serious health risks, another reason to seek the opinion of an experienced doctor before deciding on any treatment.

Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care professionals are medically qualified and highly experienced – we offer a full range of services, including a full diagnosis of the cause of your varicose veins and advice on the best ways to treat the condition. We have extensive experience providing both laser vein therapy and Sclerotherapy treatments, as well as a host of other non-invasive cosmetic procedures. Call us at (323) 457-8740 to schedule a free consultation or visit us online for more information. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have on the most effective way to address whatever cosmetic problems trouble you.

Our skin, aside from forming the largest organ in the body, is responsible for providing us with a myriad of vital functions, ranging from shielding us from physical, thermal, solar, and viral threats to helping to regulate temperature and moisture levels, providing us with the ability to sense our physical environment, and helping to produce Vitamin D. 

Given all these functions, it may seem strange that we typically focus on how our skin projects our physical vitality to others, and more specifically, with how resilient our skin’s surface is and how it maintains a healthy and youthful appearance. Even more particularly, we seek to minimize the lines, wrinkles, and stretch marks that develop naturally as we age.

The main components of the skin that are primarily responsible for a youthful appearance and help the skin resist the stretching that results in sagging, lines, and wrinkles are collagen and elastin.

Collagen and elastin are absolutely fundamental to the skin’s ability to remain resilient; they’re produced in the body. However, the body naturally reduces its production of both substances as we age, and this is the primary cause of loss of skin tone (which includes increasing looseness) as we age. 

Skin will also stretch when the body gains excess weight – either through pregnancy or when gaining weight, either through a bad diet or as a natural part of aging. Healthy levels of collagen and elastin normally allow the skin to recover after giving birth or after losing weight, but this is not necessarily the case for those who become morbidly obese or maintain significant excess weight over many years.

Causes of Stretching

As we grow through childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, our skin obviously goes through a huge expansion. However, this occurs over an extended period, and our bodies are normally quite capable of managing this kind of change – our skin has the ability to grow with us. So, under normal circumstances, we all manage this kind of transformation without developing stretch marks.

Some people experience rapid growth spurts during puberty, gaining significantly in stature or weight, and this can also result in the development of stretch marks, even without being overweight. It’s also quite possible to develop stretch marks while being under-weight.

Stretch marks are a sign that skin has been over-stretched, either by rapid weight gain or by actual pulling of the skin. When skin is stretched beyond its normal range, the skin’s collagen reserves may be insufficient to allow the skin the recover, leading to the permanent scars we know as stretch marks.

Pregnant women are advised to apply specialized moisturizing products from early in their pregnancy – these can significantly reduce the chances of developing stretch marks.

Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are actually scarring caused by the over-extension or tearing of connective tissue in the middle layer of the skin. Stretch marks are often permanent, but they may lessen in appearance once the cause of the skin’s stretching has been eliminated. Even in cases when the skin remains stretched, stretch marks often lessen in appearance over time. 

Hyperelastic Skin

Some people have skin that is able to stretch well beyond normal limits, typically due to the over-production of collagen by the body. While they may be somewhat less prone to developing stretch marks, Hyperelastic skin can be caused by a number of different conditions and is often accompanied by joint problems. This condition can’t be directly treated; however, depending on the cause, it may be possible to manage it via medication and physical therapy.

Minimizing the Appearance of Stretch Marks

There are some indications that topical creams and ointments can help to minimize the appearance of stretch marks – especially those containing Vitamin A. Some believe that aloe vera offers a way to reduce the appearance of stretch marks, but we’d suggest using products that contain hyaluronic acid, which stimulates the body’s production of collagen.

Tightening Loose Skin

Laser therapy can be used as a safe and non-invasive way to tighten loose skin – it can rearrange and shrink the skin’s collagen fibers, but it also stimulates the body to create extra collagen, which is essential to maintaining healthy skin.

Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care is highly experienced in the application of multiple non-invasive cosmetic procedures, including laser skin tightening. We specialize in combining various products to achieve the best results – not only to find the most effective but also the most cost-effective solution. We can advise you on the most appropriate non-invasive procedures to help you achieve your cosmetic goals. We’re also happy to answer any questions you may have on the most effective ways to address whatever cosmetic problems trouble you.  Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation or visit us online for more information.

Men and women both suffer from the cosmetic effects of aging, as well as from the negative consequences of excess sun exposure, smoking, and poor dietary choices. 

These factors can combine to result in facial wrinkles and lines, loss of facial volume, and particularly for men, loss of a well-defined jawline. A strong jawline is one of the primary masculine characteristics, and changes to this area as the result of the loss of muscle or skin tone can be particularly distressing. 

Dermal fillers offer a quick, safe, and particularly effective way to combat several of these negative cosmetic effects; they offer a non-invasive solution that doesn’t require downtime or a significant recovery period – they are increasingly recognized as a potent way to address the following problems:

Loss of Facial Volume

Loss of volume in the mid and lower face can result in more pronounced wrinkles and can contribute to a prematurely aged appearance. Dermal fillers can be used to fill in lost volume in the cheeks, under the eyes, and around the mouth.

Lines and Wrinkles

Fillers can be used to address lines and wrinkles, including around the mouth as well as helping to reduce any deep lines or furrows on your face. Men are especially prone to developing more significant forehead furrows. Careful application of dermal fillers can significantly reduce these problems, giving a more youthful appearance, while still remaining natural-looking. 

Loss of Jawline Definition

Fillers can be used to enhance the jawline, creating a more defined profile. They can also help to reduce sagging and loose jowls by filling loose skin using specialized fillers with more resistant textures, resulting in a lifting effect. 

Fillers also offer a way to not only remediate the effects of time but can of course also improve your natural jawline, even if it hasn’t degraded.

The Key to Successful Results

The key to achieving a successful result is to use a medically trained and experienced practitioner – there are a great number of different dermal filler products, many of which can be used in combination, when appropriate. It’s not a simple task to address what may be a number of different problems, using a combination of products and techniques, while achieving a natural-looking result. 

It’s not good enough to “fix” your cosmetic problems, it’s vital that the result looks natural. And techniques must often be specially adapted for male patients, to address their requirements.

Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care doctors are highly experienced in the use of dermal fillers for both male and female patients. We specialize in combining various products to achieve the best results – not only to find the most effective, but also the most cost-effective solution. We can advise you on the most appropriate non-invasive procedures to help you achieve your cosmetic goals. 

We’re also happy to answer any questions you may have on the most effective ways to address whatever cosmetic problems trouble you. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation or visit us online for more information.

Poor circulation can be caused by any number of physical or physiological causes, and in turn, can be responsible for a wide variety of minor or major health problems. These range from cold, numb, or tingling feet, swelling in the feet, joint pain, and muscle cramping. It can also result in digestion problems and even premature cognitive impairment. Poor circulation can also be responsible for the accelerated development of visible varicose and spider veins.

Patients often overlook the benefits that a healthy and varied diet can bring to their general health, but many foods and supplements can have noticeable beneficial effects as a direct result of improving one’s general circulation. You can benefit from including the following items in your diet, whether or not you suffer from varicose veins or any of the other possible symptoms of poor circulation.

Ginger

Ginger is a traditional supplement known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. It can help improve blood circulation, as well as reduce blood sugar levels. It’s effective when eaten raw, cooked, or used to infuse teas.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon contains several compounds that can help general health, including antioxidants. It has anti-inflammatory properties and can help reduce blood sugar levels. Also known to help relax blood vessels and help to increase blood circulation.

Peppers

Cayenne pepper, in particular, contains capsaicin, well known as a metabolic stimulant. It can help prevent plaque buildup in blood vessels. It can be used raw or cooked.

Onions and Garlic

Onions are a rich source of flavonoid antioxidants, helping to increase blood flow. Garlic also contains allicin, a blood vessel relaxant, and helps prevent plaque build-up.

Pomegranate

Another rich source of antioxidants and nitrates, pomegranates dilate blood vessels, thereby lowering blood pressure. 

Beets

Beets are rich in nitrates, which help the body relax blood vessel walls, stimulate blood circulation, and reduce high blood pressure readings.

Turmeric

The curcumin found in turmeric has strong anti-inflammatory properties and can also help relax blood vessel walls.

Leafy Green Vegetables

Green vegetables bring several health benefits; spinach, in particular, can help keep blood vessel walls flexible, in turn helping to lower blood pressure. 

Tomatoes and Watermelons

Both contain lycopene, an antioxidant linked to improved blood circulation.

Citrus Fruit

Citrus fruit is high in antioxidants and can help prevent blood clotting as well as improve circulation. Vitamin C also brings many other health benefits.

Berries and Grapes

Grapes and many berries are high in antioxidants, protecting blood vessel walls from damage and helping lower blood pressure.

Bananas

A rich source of potassium, bananas help to reduce levels of sodium in the body, increasing urine output and relaxing blood vessels, leading to lowered blood pressure. 

Fatty Fish

The omega-3 fatty acids found in many oily fish bring several benefits, including improved heart function and circulation. Fish with high oil concentrations include mackerel, herring, salmon, and trout. 

Dark Chocolate

The high levels of flavonoids found in dark chocolate can help stimulate blood circulation, in addition to other health benefits. In particular, choose chocolate containing at least 70% cocoa.

Nuts

Many nuts bring health benefits. Walnuts, in particular, are rich in alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 type fatty acid that protects blood vessel elasticity, leading to lowered blood pressure. Almonds are also high in antioxidants, helping to improve blood circulation.

Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care can help advise you on the most appropriate non-invasive procedure to help you achieve your cosmetic goals. We’re very experienced and medically qualified and can provide you with advice on how best to combine dietary changes with any of the wide range of procedures that we can perform. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have on the most effective ways to address whatever cosmetic problems trouble you, including helping to identify the underlying causes. We pride ourselves on offering the most effective (and cost-effective) ways to help you achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation or visit us online for more information.

Bulging veins are the main characteristic of varicose veins, a condition generally caused by blood circulation problems.

Identifying the cause of these bulging veins is often problematic – although they’re a direct indication that normal blood circulation has been disrupted, it’s not always evident what is causing the problem.

Common causes of varicose veins are excess weight, excessive periods of standing at work, and hormonal imbalances, including the use of some birth control pills. You may also be more prone to developing varicose veins if your family has a history of their occurrence, and your chance of developing varicose veins also increases with each pregnancy. Several less common medical conditions can also result in bulging veins.

In addition to the above causes, smoking, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol also increase your level of risk of developing varicose veins.

Stress and Anxiety

Although not the primary cause of varicose veins, stress, and anxiety can raise your blood pressure, indirectly affecting the health of your circulation. But stress and anxiety can also have far more pervasive effects on your health, leading in turn to unhealthy eating habits, increased consumption of alcohol and tobacco, as well as preventing you from getting sufficient high-quality sleep. All of these results can, in turn, affect your health and adversely affect your blood pressure. Unfortunately, many of these outcomes can further increase your stress levels, leading to a vicious circle.

Treatment Options

Laser vein therapy can be an effective way to treat broken and dilated blood vessels, although less so for full-blown varicose veins. Sclerotherapy, which involves injecting carefully formulated solutions into the veins, is an effective way to reduce or eliminate the visible twisty veins that are associated with some varicose veins. 

Varicose veins can be a purely cosmetic problem, but they can also be linked to potentially much more serious problems, including deep-vein thrombosis. In many cases identifying the ultimate cause of varicose veins is far from straightforward.

For this reason, we recommend consulting with a qualified doctor, preferably one with specialized experience treating this condition. In addition to treating the symptoms of this condition, your doctor will be able to explore your overall health and should be able to provide you with recommendations on how best to reduce your vulnerability to developing more varicose veins. They may also be able to suggest ways to reduce your stress levels or perhaps suggest other practitioners better able to assist in this area.

Your Laser Skin Care

Your Laser Skin Care is experienced and medically qualified to perform both Laser vein therapy and injectable Sclerotherapy, as well as a wide range of other non-invasive cosmetic techniques. We can help identify the primary causes of your varicose veins and can help answer questions regarding your personal situation. We pride ourselves on offering the most effective (and cost-effective) ways to help you achieve your cosmetic goals. Call us at (323) 525-1516 to schedule a free consultation or visit us online for more information.