Your legs can look and feel great, with help from Dr. St. George at the St. Johns Vein Center in Jacksonville.

Compression hose work by applying gradient pressure to the legs, pressing bloodflow upward toward the heart.

Compression hose treatment, also called stocking therapy, is one of the most conservative forms of treatment offered for spider veins and varicose veins. Jacksonville’s St. Johns Vein Center has helped thousands of patients alleviate pain and correct the unsightly cosmetic issues of varicose and spider veins via correctly worn compression hose.

These prescribed stockings work by applying gradient pressure that’s tight on the foot and ankle, then gets less tight toward the knee. This pressure pushes the blood flow upwards toward the heart, so that it’s not able to flow backwards and pool in the veins. That pooling of blood is what causes the veins to swell above the surface, creating unsightly marks. When worn properly, compression hose reduce swelling in the feet and decrease the chance of blood clots forming in the legs. While they won’t cure your varicose veins, they will help nix the swelling, aching and heaviness that accompany the condition.

If you smoke, are diabetic or have a decreased blood supply to the legs, you should not wear compression hose. Outside of taking some getting used to, compression hose have no other known complications in healthy, non-smoking patients. While there are non-prescription stockings on the market, they generally do not apply the right amount or gradient of pressure and are not as effective as those your doctor will prescribe. Prescription compression hose typically range in cost from $50 to $125 and can last for six months to a year when properly cared for. It’s recommended that patients hand-wash and dry their compression stockings to help keep them in great shape.

If you are seeking treatment for spider or varicose veins, Jacksonville’s Dr. James St. George of St. Johns Vein Center can determine whether compression hose or another form of treatment is best for you. Call 877-640-VEIN (8346) to schedule a consultation today.

Your doctor can help you choose the best of three forms of sclerotherapy treatment for spider, bue and varicose veins at Jacksonville's St. Johns Vein Center.

Sclerotherapy is a top choice for many patients seeking relief from spider veins and varicose veins. Jacksonville’s St. Johns Vein Center offers three forms of sclerotherapy, popular because they can be used to effectively treat many different types of venous insufficiencies. Here is a quick overview of each of the three treatments we offer:

• Ultrasound Sclerotherapy: This breakthrough varicose vein treatment allows many patients to dodge surgeries that would have been necessary for treatment of hidden veins in the past. With ultrasound guided sclerotherapy, doctors are able to see, via the machine’s external monitor, veins that are otherwise hidden from plain sight. Rather than cutting into a patient, doctors can use ultrasound to pinpoint diseased veins and treat them via injections of sclerosant, which irritates the spider or varicose veins’ lining, causing the blood to clot and the vein to shrink.

• Liquid Sclerotherapy: This form of sclerotherapy treatment is also known as injection therapy and is a standard treatment for spider veins, reticular veins (or blue veins) and smaller varicose veins. Your doctor will inject a specially formulated solution inside the affected vein, causing the vein wall to become irritated and inflamed, then scar and close up or shrink. With the diseased vein closed off, healthy blood vessels surrounding it will absorb the extra blood flow.

• Foam Sclerotherapy: If you’ve got larger and longer varicose veins, Jacksonville’s St. Johns Vein Center likely will recommend foam sclerotherapy over ultrasound or liquid sclerotherapy treatment. In this form of treatment, a patient’s blood vessel is injected with flam sclerosant drugs that are blended with CO2 and air either inside a syringe or via a mechanical pump. This mixture gives the solution a wider reach than the solution used in liquid sclerotherapy. This mixture displaces blood inside the vein and delivers maximum sclerosant action.

If you need treatment of spider, blue or varicose veins, Jacksonville’s Dr. James St. George, founder of the St. Johns Vein Center, can help you decide which form of sclerotherapy treatment will be most effective. Call 904-402-VEIN (8346) or schedule a consultation online.

Your legs really can look and feel great at any age with expert treatment at the St. Johns Vein Center.

Resting with your legs elevated can help with multiple vein conditions including chronic venous insufficiency, Jacksonville's St. Johns Vein Center says.

Known as CVI, chronic venous insufficiency, Jacksonville’s Dr. James St. George explains, is a medical condition in which the veins are unable to pump enough oxygen-poor blood back to the heart. It’s cause by damaged blood valves and often occurs after deep vein thrombosis or phlebitis. While women make up the majority of CVI sufferers, it’s also common among men who work jobs that are hard on the legs. Utility pole linemen and paratroopers are examples.

Among those most at risk for CVI are:

• Elderly
• Female Adults
• Taller People
• Those with a Family History of Vein Issues
• People who are Overweight
• Pregnant Women
• Those Who Sit or Stand for Extended Periods

Symptoms can include itching, hyperpigmentation of the skin, plebetic lymphedema and chronic swelling of the legs and ankles. For patients with chronic venous insufficiency, Jacksonville’s St. Johns Vein Clinic offers several treatment options including compression hose and sclerotherapy. The use of compression hose to treat CVI goes all the way back to Hippocrates, who treated the condition with bandaging. Other treatment forms include manual compression lymphatic massage therapy, ankle or sequential compression pumps and blood pressure medications. For more severe cases, surgical treatment may be necessary.

CVI patients are encouraged to exercise and to elevate the legs above the heart while sleeping by placing firm pillows beneath their legs or using a bed wedge.

If you believe you may have chronic venous insufficiency, Jacksonville’s St. Johns Vein Center can help. Call 904-402-VEIN (8346) or toll-free 877-640-VEIN.

The Dos and Don'ts of avoiding spider and varicose veins involve tips on high-energy lifestyles, high-fiber diets and high-heeled shoes.

Want to avoid unsightly and uncomfortable spider veins and varicose veins? Jacksonville vascular specialist Dr. James St. George tells you how.

“Much of the advice for avoiding spider and varicose veins comes down to simply living an active, healthy lifestyle,” says Dr. St. George, founder of the St. Johns Vein Center in Jacksonville, FL. The center treats a range of vascular conditions including spider and varicose veins, blue veins, pelvic and labial veins, chronic venous insufficiency, leg ulcers and restless leg syndrome.

Dr. St. George’s top tips:

• DO exercise regularly, focusing on fitness routines that strengthen your legs and improve circulation. Running, power walking or dancing are great choices.
• DO reach and maintain a healthy weight to relieve pressure on your legs, knees and feet.
• DO wear sunscreen to protect your skin from the sun damage that can spread spider veins, particularly on the face.
• DO wear graduated support stockings or socks sold at pharmacies. Unlike regular knee-high nylons, socks or girdles that block the movement of blood up the leg, these specially designed stockings and socks apply a gentle, graduated pressure to the leg from the foot upward. This helps decrease expansion of the vein wall and improves circulation.
• DO opt for lower-heeled shoes to help tone your calf muscles and keep blood moving through your veins.
• DO choose low-salt, high-fiber foods and snacks like whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables. The added fiber will help reduce the constipation that can cause varicose veins, and eating less salt can help keep varicose vein swelling at bay.
• DO elevate your legs while resting and flex your calf muscles while standing as much as possible. Elevating your legs them helps keep the blood from pooling in the veins. And flexing your calves keeps blood pumping upward and out of your legs.
• DON’T wear those gorgeous stilettos for too long. They keep your calf muscles from effectively pumping blood out of the leg.
• DON’T cross your legs for too long while sitting.
• DON’T sit or stand for long periods of time without a break. If you must stand for too long, shift your weight from one leg to another every few minutes. And if you sit at a desk or work table for most of your workday, stand up and move around or take a quick, brisk walk every half hour.

If you already have spider or varicose veins, a range of treatment options is available. Call the St. Johns Vein Center at 877-640-VEIN (8346) to schedule a consultation today.