Dr. Darm, Treating Spider Veins

Treating Spider Veins
as shown on Fox 12 Oregon's Good Day Oregon show
December 13, 2011

As we get older, almost everybody gets some, but nobody wants to talk about it, those big blue spider veins. It makes it hard to wear short or that little black party dress and it turns out it's also bad for your health. But there is something you can do about it. We're here with Dr. Darm at Aesthetic Medicine.

"So in her leg where we see just one spider vein, there are tens of thousands of veins here that you really can't see that are functioning completely normal. So this vein actually that you can is see is not functioning normally, it's sluggish where the blood flow in veins that you can't see is normal. These are aberrant veins, the ones that you actually can't see. They're not functioning and you actually improve the functioning of the legs by getting rid of the unsightly spider veins."

Dr. Darm says over half of the women have spider veins. They can be caused by heredity, pregnancy, or standing for long period of time. You can prevent some veins by wearing fix support stockings but if you're past prevention and looking for the cure, a treatment of injections called "Sclerotherapy" is the best option.

"There are lots of laser out there. I've purchased over 5 or 6 lasers to treat spider veins but really the best treatment is the Sclerotherapy. It's actually the chemical that we put into the vein that causes the vein to collapse. Once the vein collapses then there's no blood flow in the vein then within about 72 hours that vein will die. We also put very tight stockings on afterward to help enhance the collapsing molecules with the injection."

The stockings stay on 2 weeks to a month after each treatment. Between 50 and 80 percent of all problem veins can be treated in 2 sessions. Dr. Darm says this high percentage rate is special do at Aesthetic Medicine. Because of the unusual way they perform Sclerotherapy.

"We usually do an hour of treatment and unlike many centers we'll have 2 or 3 people injecting at one time. We'd like to get as much as done in one sitting as we can."

The pain is not too bad and the recovery time is fairly quick. You might be wondering why you need to worry about Sclerotherapy and showing off your legs in the dead of winter.

"Winter is the great time to do this and you should consider the winter months as the months where you can wear these tight fitting stockings for two weeks. Summer, hundred degrees, forget it. That's when everyone wants to do the treatment but really winter thinking ahead say 'I want to look good for spring and summer' now is the time in the winter to do this treatment."

Planning in advance will get you these beautiful legs this summer but Dr. Darm said that looking good is really half of the benefit.

"For a lot of people it's about appearance but really it's about their health, long term as well. In terms of some patients who develop bulging veins or so called varicose veins."

For more information on Sclerotherapy you can log on to www.drdarm.com or call at (503) 697 9777 for a free consultation.

Dr. Darm, Make Sun Damage and Rosacea Disappear

Make Sun Damage Disappear with Dr. Darm
AMNW Segment
Story Published: December 1, 2011

With the latest non-invasive treatment there's no really reason not to have perfectly looking skin and here to tell us more from Aesthetic Medicine in Portland, OR, Dr. Jerry Darm along with one of his patients Libby Mahedy Burkle.

What causes sun damage?
"Well, sun damage is obviously the exposure to the sun and excess exposure without protection. Tanning is bad but sun burns are worst and tanning beds can actually cause cancers in young people."

So you have sunburns earlier in you life, when do you see the negative results of sun burns?
"You might see the results 40 or 50 years later. So once the skin has been damaged to some degrees it is damaged forever and you may have to treat it forever."

Is rosacea hereditary?
"Rosacea is a hereditary disorder but it can actually be made worse by sun exposure and over exposure."

Libby, you were treated by Dr. Darm by both sun damaged skin and rosacea. What treatments did you received?
"Initially, I went to Jerry (Dr. Darm) to have the sun damage and rosacea taken care of and the most prominent change was with the sun damage, which is predominantly in both side of my face along with something a kin to pregnancy mask discoloration and it was amazing that the treatments were done in 10 days almost to the day that Jerry (Dr. Darm) said it would happen. Dr. Darm said it will all flaked off from after having the laser treatments done and beautiful skin."

How's the laser treatments work?
"It is an intense pulsed light device (IPL) with the radio frequency (RF) added and so it helps with the rosacea, it helps with the flushing, it helps with the redness, with the spider veins and for the sun damage the little "brownish spots" or "liver spots" are what targeted basically."

Is it painful of you to have these treatments?
"No, not at all. Its just feel like a little zap, the description given before the treatment is that it feels like a rubber band snapping and that's pretty much on target. A gel is placed on and there's a cooling air that keeps the skin at the good temperature. You don't really feel much at all."

What is that laser doing to the skin, is it taking away that skin cell or reversing something?
"The technical term is selective photothermolysis. The light heats up the target so the red vein or the brown spot while sparring the white skin. And we actually have treatments now for darker skin as well."

Will that treatment lasts forever or do you do maintenance?
"You got to do a redo every so often because remember once the skin is damaged it is damaged forever so you've got to come back. You might be three treatments initially and maybe once or twice a year."

What difference you have after you had it done?
"Oh the comments were, people will drop their jaws like when I went to work that week is like "what happen" and ever since I just love having what I called peaches and cream skin. I don't have ever to wear make-up again and that was my goal. I don't wear any make up at all, my skin is just wonderful."

If you would more information visit Dr. Darm or call us at (503) 697 9777 for a free consultation.

See our special offer for sun damage this holiday. Get 3 free liquid nitrogen with the purchase of Sun Damage package.

Dr. Darm hosted Sclerotherapy Training by Terri Harper, RN, BSN

On Friday, September 23^rd, 2011 Aesthetic Medicine, Dr. Darm’s office hosted a full day of Sclerotherapy training for Aesthetic Advancements. The instructor, Ms. Terri Harper RN, BSN, who is the Clinical Director, of Spa Medical Vein Specialists of the South, LLC. Ms. Harper lectured on Sclerotherapy and covered the lower extremities. The staff had the opportunity to have hands on utilizing various technique methods. At Aesthetic Medicine, Dr. Darm believes in every opportunity for continued ongoing staff training. Please see Aesthetic Medicine's before and after pictures.