Pain-free solution for spider veins

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Pain-free solution for spider veins

A new procedure called cryosclerotherapy is allowing patients to get rid of spider veins permanently and painlessly with dramatic results. Dr. Luis Navarro from The Vein Treatment Center in New York City shows us how it’s done

When she was 18 years old, Kori Rehfield developed spider veins— a condition usually associated with age.

"I always wore long dresses. I never allowed myself to wear anything shorter, because eventually it spread to the bottom of my legs,” Rehfield, certified home redesigner, told FoxNews.com. “I thought it would be something that would be way later on for me, but it wasn't— it was young and it was devastating."

Decades later, the mother of two sought help from Dr. Luis Navarro, founder of The Vein Treatment Center in New York City.

Navarro has been treating veins for more than 25 years and developed a new technique called cryosclerotherapy.

Traditional sclerotherapy works by injecting a chemical compound into the vein, which irritates the inner lining causing it to collapse and disappear permanently - rerouting blood to a healthy vein.

"There was a need to do sclerotherapy without pain, since usually in an intensive session we put 40, 80, 120 injections,” Navarro said. “It can become uncomfortable."

Cryosclerotherapy solved this by adding blasts of cold air and vibrating pressure to the treatment so the sensory fibers are overloaded-- blocking pain sensation.

"The cold air is -30 degrees and, at 1,000 liters per minute, directed into the area of the injections and some mechanical pressure,” he said. “Both of them make the injection 90 percent painless or totally painless."

Cryosclerotherapy causes minor bruising that heals within 2 to 4 weeks. The entire treatment can be done in as little as 2 or 3 visits, depending on the patient, and the results are dramatic

While the cost is 500 dollars for the first 40 injections, patients like Rehfield say it's worth every penny.

"Everything that’s been with me for so long, I am finally rid of, so it’s been really amazing," she said.

To find a qualified vein treatment center near you, visit Phlebology.org.