\You have decided this is the year you get out of debt.  You can see the finish line and can almost feel how amazing it will be to be debt free.   You are formulating a plan and budget and you’ve chosen to refinance your home so you don’t have to use high-interest credit cards to supplement your income.  Sometimes, this can be difficult to do.  With average credit card APR of 16.65% as of April 2018, paying down balances is challenging.  But you don’t want to be free of debt. You also want to have enough funds or income for comfort.  Here are some things you can begin today to help you achieve financial success.

Cut Expenses

Cutting expenses and living a more frugal lifestyle can take some time to adjust to but will benefit you on the road to financial freedom.  Cooking at home instead of dining out is a great start.  The money you would have spent going out for dinner can be applied directly towards high-interest debt or put into a savings account to begin building wealth.  Once you start to develop the habit of saving money and cutting expenses, it can become addictive!  Look for other areas of spending that you may be able to adjust like cutting the cord with cable tv and switching to streaming devices instead.  Look for fun free activities that you can do in your neighborhood or city on the weekends.

Increase Income

The flip side of cutting your expenses is to work on increasing your income.  Looking for areas of opportunity for growth in your current position, or actively seeking out a higher paying new job.  Maybe taking a class or certification can help you to earn more in your career.  Picking up a part-time job is also an option.  Putting back all the income from your part-time job into a savings or investment account can help build your nest egg.  Or, if you have high-interest debt, a part-time job can do wonders for eliminating the deficit quickly.  Do odd jobs around the neighborhood or even host a yard sale. It is incredible how much stuff we accumulate that we no longer use but could sell.

Pay Off High-Interest Debt

You cannot have financial freedom if you are still in a cycle of debt.  Part of cutting expenses and paying off debt is thinking through your medium and large purchases.  Waiting to purchase big ticket items until you have the funds to cover it in cash is the best way to go.  If this is not an option, then pay in cash what you can, charge the rest and try and pay it off within 30 days to avoid accruing additional interest.

If you owe on multiple cards or owe a higher balance, a secured loan could be the answer.  Regardless of where you live, you can find a title loan company to help you.   It could be Philadelphia or Los Angeles.  Just look up your location and “title loan in Google,” and you can get the help you need.  For example, “San Jose title loan”  in a quick search online could be the answer.

With secured loans, such as a title loan, you can use your vehicle title as collateral to obtain a loan with a lower interest rate.  You can use these funds to pay off the high-interest rate cards, make a lower monthly payment, and continue driving your vehicle during the life of the loan.

Any step you take towards gaining your financial freedom should be celebrated.  Work off small victories and don’t be too hard on yourself if you indulge occasionally.  Make small changes first, such as paying off a credit card or loan with a more modest balance, then tackling the next and so on.  You will find creative ways to pay off debt and find ways to earn extra income at the same time.  We wish you luck on your journey!

Erin Schollaert is a full-time teacher, mother, driver of children, cooker of dinner, washer of laundry, sayer of bad words, and hockey mom extraordinaire. She is not afraid to speak her mind, even if that means dropping a few old-fashioned hashtags, $#!&. In her free time — like that exists — she blogs in order to vent the frustration that comes with raising three kids. Her mantra, blogging, and swearing are better than a drinking problem.

Telangiectasias and Reticular veins are common vein disorders that are diagnosed when there is the presence of spider or reticular veins on a person’s legs.

Problems existing within the veins commonly point to a venous insufficiency, resulting in the highly visible external spider veins making their way across an afflicted person’s legs.

Resulting from the stretching of diminutively-sized veins very close to the skin, blood subsequently fills the abundance of new space to ultimately create clearly visible telangiectasias and reticular veins on the skin.

With their spidery, tree-branch-like appearance, these impacted veins can manifest as a cluster or as a grouping of haphazard single lines.

While most commonly found on the legs, these types of veins can also present themselves in the facial area through extended exposure to the sun and chronic rosacea.

Read on below for our highly informative, easy-to-read primer to learn everything you need to know about telangiectasias and reticular veins.

Telangiectasia Explained

A telangiectasia is a confluence of dilated intradermal venules of less than 1 mm in caliber. More commonly referred to as spider veins, telangiectasia veins range in color from red and pink to purple-blue. Occurring in roughly 40% of the general population, telangiectasias are experienced by men, and more commonly by women.

Within the classification of vein disorder, telangiectasias are indicated as a Type I vein that is responsive to treatments such as dynamic foam sclerotherapy and laser therapy. Both therapies aim to treat the feeder veins underlying telangiectasias, subsequently leading to the introduction of topical lasers to comprehensively eradicate telangiectasias.

Reticular Veins Explained
Reticular veins, also known as blue veins or feeder veins, are smaller than varicose veins but may also have a ropy appearance. Primarily occurring in the back of the legs and around the knees, reticular veins measure anywhere from one millimeter to about three millimeters in diameter.

This type of vein condition is classified as a type III vein and is extremely painful. When present along with telangiectasias, treatment of reticular veins must be conducted first via injection with subsequent injections performed on the telangiectasias. Treating the reticular veins first is imperative in helping patients experience anyu early recurrence of these agonizing veins.

What causes Telangiectasias and Reticular veins

These veins are typically the result of acquired causes but can also be caused by congenital disorders. Examples of acquired causes include:

• Acne rosacea
• Long-term sun exposure
• Extended cold exposure
• Skin trauma from incisions or contusions
• Radiation exposure
• Chemotherapy
• Carcinoid syndrome
• Extended use of topical corticosteroids
• Smoking

Examples of congenital disorders that cause telangiectasias and reticular veins are as follows:

• Bloom’s syndrome
• Port-wine stain
• Hypotrichosis–lymphedema–telangiectasia syndrome
• Ataxia-telangiectasia
• Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome
• Maffucci’s syndrome
• Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome

Symptoms of Telangiectasias and Reticular Veins

• Discomfort and pain in the legs
• Facial pain
• Aching, throbbing, burning in the legs or face
• A feeling of heaviness
• Fatigue
• Swelling
• Intense itching

Treatment Options: Telangiectasias and Reticular Veins

Nationally recognized as a leader in vein disorder treatments, USA Vein Clinics states that the treatment of these specific vein issues no longer requires invasive surgery procedures.

Conversely, in today’s modern times, patients can be treated with dynamic foam sclerotherapy and ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy regimes – therapies that are incredibly effective, non-invasive, affordable, and convenient that are now being rapidly adopted by doctors and treatment centers around the world.

Dynamic foam sclerotherapy involves a complex system of injection techniques and is used as a long-term method for the treatment of telangiectasias and reticular veins.

Treatment is first used on reticular veins and then subsequent treatments are performed on the telangiectasias. Over time, the treatments break down the impacted veins, rendering them to a collapsed and faded state.
Conservative treatment options are also widely available and include:

• Compression stockings
• Regular exercise
• Using plant-based bioflavonoid supplements that have anti-inflammatory properties…can have beneficial effects on vein disorders in terms of appearance and physical comfort
• Note: Reticular veins, while exceedingly painful, are also considered cosmetic problems. Unwitting patients have attempted to visit dermatologists, beauty salons, and similar establishments to improve the color and surface of their veins.

The treatments administered by these establishments may (but not always) very temporarily improve the color and texture of the veins but the fact remains that the underlying disorder still exists and required high-tech injection treatment by a medical specialist

Telangiectasias and Reticular Veins Considerations

If you have already been diagnosed with telangiectasias and/or reticular veins, there are an immense number of health care professionals available to assist you in alleviating the appearance and pain of the veins on your body. Many of these centers are headed by doctors with decades of experience in administering injections to damaged veins. Further, there are an array of clinics that offer affordable pricing along with convenient payment plans.

On the other hand, if you are worried about potentially becoming affiliated with these unsightly, uncomfortable, and painful veins, there are many easy ways to make educated assessments about the likelihood of contracting them.

As mentioned above, certain congenital disorders can cause vein issues, along with a range of elements that can contribute to an acquired case of telangiectasias or reticular veins.

By practicing prevention and staying mindful of lifestyle decisions such as not smoking, limiting exposure to radiation, and partaking in regular exercise can all serve to assist you in living a life free of these frustratingly arduous veins.