It’s a depressing fact of life that varicose veins are rarely absent from the legs of fifty-something women.

The conventional surgical treatment is even more worrying, requiring an incision into the groin, plus multiple incisions in the legs.

Now a new laser procedure means only a tiny nick in the leg is needed. EndoVenous Laser Treatment (EVLT) is carried out under local anaesthetic and takes only two hours in hospital.

A nurse who underwent the treatment, writes : “First, they measured me for the stocking they were going to put on my leg afterwards, which would minimise any bruising.

“Once in theater, another ultrasound scan was done of my leg to find the best place to enter the vein. [The surgeon] marked the point with a surgical marker pen and I was given a local anaesthetic, so I couldn’t feel anything. Then I was placed on my side. [He] made a small incision, level with my knee, and threaded a guide wire and then the laser through my vein.

“I couldn’t see what was happening as I had drapes over me. I was given a pair of goggles to protect my eyes from the laser, then the lights were switched off and the laser switched on. The procedure took just a few minutes. Then, when the vein was sealed, [the surgeon] switched the laser off. Lastly, he removed the wire containing the laser and put a sticky skin fastener over the incision.

“I then got off the operating table and walked to the recovery bay. I’d arrived at 12.30pm and was ready to leave two hours later. Initially, my leg was numb, but feeling in it returned after an hour or so.”

This procedure will make a huge difference to many women.

A new survey by the College of Optometrists in Britain reveals the 92 percent of women are putting their health and looks at risk by using old makeup.

Most women probably pay no attention to the sell-by date on the products they buy, but they are there. For example :

* Mascara has an expiry date of 3–6 months.
* Liquid and cream foundations, concealer, cleanser, moisturiser, 6–8 months.
* Pressed, loose and compressed powders, eye shadow, blusher, lip gloss, lipstick, toner, 1 year.
* Eye and lip liner, 18 months.

The problem is that these products can be a “hot house” for bacteria which can cause infections when the makeup is applied. The bacteria builds up over time until it becomes dangerous to use. Mascara is a particular problem because the stick used to apply it can scratch the soft tissue surrounding the eye.

The worst offenders, says the study, are middle-aged women who are likely to hang on to their favorite products much longer than younger women.

Dr Susan Blakeney, optometric adviser to the college, said, “Mascara can be a breeding ground for bacteria, so it’s not surprising we’ve found nearly half of women suffer from itchy, watery and red eyes when they are holding onto their eye makeup for so long and sharing it among their friends.”

A leading U.S. dermatologist claims that by ditching sugar from your diet, you can look ten years younger in ten days.

And it isn’t just by losing weight but because : “In a nutshell, sugar hastens the degradation of elastin and collagen, both key skin proteins. In other words, it actively ages you,” he says.

In his new book, 10 Minutes/Ten Years: Your Definitive Guide to a Better and Youthful Appearance, Dr Fredric Brandt says he saw a remarkable change in his own skin when he dropped sugar from his diet. He lost 20lb in weight, but also saw a new glow, radiance and elasticity in his face. Within a year, his body had changed as well.

“I’m really lean and have the body of a teenager, although I’m in my 40s. … Believe me, it’s cheaper than a facelift.”

He continues, “The sugar triggers a process in the body called glycation. This is where the sugar molecules bind to your protein fibres — those wonderfully springy and resilient collagen and elastin fibres — which are the building blocks of skin.”

But it gets worse. Just by overheating starchy foods or grilling them, the sugar content mutates producing Advanced Glycation End products, AGEs, which do immense harm to the skin.

A word to the wise.

New research shows that a short afternoon nap can make a disproportionate improvement to your health, work performance and even sex life.

A new book by Harvard University sleep expert Dr Sara Mednick, Take a Nap! Change Your Life, describes the simple process of taking a nap as a “lifesaving habit”.

Dr Mednick, a psychologist and research scientist, has accumulated a lot of evidence that a simple siesta in the afternoon is the best medicine for a happier, healthier life. People who sleep for 30 minutes at least three times a week had a 37 percent lower chance of a heart attack, according to a lead researcher from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Dr Mednick also claims that snoozers make fewer mistakes and have boosted brainpower. One of her experiments involved one group taking a nap, another group taking a mug of coffee (200mg of caffeine), and a control group taking a placebo (an inert substance).

They were then given a series of tasks, including typing and spatial skill tests. The coffee drinkers performed much worse than the placebo takers, while the nappers performed best of all. So the common assumption that coffee will keep you going through the day is an urban myth — or was probably fed to us by copywriters promoting sales of coffee.

In another study, recently published in Nature Neuroscience journal, the good doctor put 30 well-rested people through the same set of tasks four times in the course of a day, starting at 9am through to 7pm — a typical working day for freelances and the self-employed.

Performance dropped by 50 percent in those who stayed awake all day. However, the volunteers who took an afternoon nap kept up their performance throughout the day.

NASA gets in on the act too. Tests show that astronauts who took a brief snooze doubled their alertness, even if they were not tired before the nap. They also increased their work productivity by at least 13 percent.

The ideal time to nap is between 1pm and 3pm which enables the most restful kind of sleep pattern for boosting performance.