It Starts With the Hands

Dr. Gabriel Goren, founder of the Vein Disorders Center, is focused on providing a simple procedure that takes away one sign of aging that often is not at the top of women’s lists: their hands.

Goren, a general surgeon who graduated with the Class of 1963 from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Hadassah Medical School, has dedicated his private practice to phlebology—the science of various vein disorders—since 1984.

He first worked in the world of kidney transplants, but left the field when he was faced with the decision to relocate out of California.

“It was a very difficult two years, and then slowly, slowly, I created a name for myself,” Goren shared of when he first opened his own practice.

The vein disorders that Goren addresses are all treatable in an office setting.

Varicose veins on the legs and unwanted hand veins are treated using ambulatory phlebectomy—an outpatient procedure that removes superficial veins through small, slit-like incisions in the skin—under local anesthesia, which, in most cases, means no down time.

Goren, who had been treating varicose leg veins in his office with the hook technique for years, was challenged by a patient in her 70s: He had treated her leg varicosities, and, happy with the results, she asked if he could do anything for her hands.

He told her the truth: That he had not done hand rejuvenation with regards to veins and was not aware of anyone else doing it. He agreed to do one hand. Upon seeing the results, she was ready for the second hand.

Goren said that many of his patients elect to do the treatment after seeing before and after pictures in his office, as well as seeing the hands of his nurse, who has undergone the procedure and had lasting results.

“The response is absolutely fantastic,” Goren shared of the results his patients see.

Most of the patients Goren works with are women between 50 and 70 years old. With the exception of a handful of cases that arise from heavy lifting during workouts, most cases Goren sees are just a result of naturally aging. Skin gets thinned out as people age and there is a loss of the fat bed, which means that veins protrude more.

Before the procedure, Goren marks the veins that will be removed and only anesthetizes the area he will be working in. From start to finish, most patients are in and out in less than three hours. The only limitation following the procedure is that a patient is not able to put their hand in water for a few days, due to the healing process.

Some of the alternative procedures for vein disorders include sclerotherapy and stripping—both of which Goren does not use at his office, due to failed results and increased trauma.

“I’m a surgeon, I go to the direct approach,” Goren explained of his procedures. “I don’t go all around and around, [other treatments] are around and around because you have to redo them … This is less traumatic than going to the dentist.”

Goren explained that, contrary to leg veins, which can reappear, he has never seen a vein recurrence in the hand.

To date, Goren has performed more than 3,500 procedures—more than 500 on hand veins. With USC Professor Albert Yelin, Goren published the experience with ambulatory phlebectomy in the Journal of Surgery in 1991, marking the first publication on the subject in American surgical literature.

Goren has returned back to work after a brief retirement in 2010.

“I’m still working and I intend to stay working as long as I can because my brain is fine, my hands are fine, knowledge is good. So why not?” he said.

Vein Disorders Center is located at 16311 Ventura Blvd. in Suite #1255. For more information or to book a complimentary consultation, call 818-905-5502, or visit drgorenveincenter.com or handveinsrejuvenation.com.