NO VEIN, NO PAIN
Ex-Rangers player returns to pitch after laser therapy transforms legs BEFORE AFTER
A FORMER Rangers player has told how he covered up his legs for 20 years because he was so embarrassed about his varicose veins.
Justin Wingate, 43, has now returned to the game after a revolutionary operation.
The centre forward played alongside Steven Pressley, Gary McSwegan and Sandy Robertson at Rangers – but just as he was about to break into the first team, he picked up an injury.
Justin said: “My shinbone came through my kneecap and ended my career.”
The dad of two believes the reconstructive surgery he needed led to him developing varicose veins.
He said: “By the time I was 25, I had the legs of a 70-year-old. It became a big issue for me in relation to my confidence.”
If he did venture on a pitch, he’d wear long shorts and pull up his socks to his knees to hide his legs.
Justin said: “By the time I was in my 30s, they got really painful too.”
A phobia of needles meant he shied away from traditional, surgical methods of vein stripping. But then he heard about a new minimally invasive treatment delivered under local anaesthetic.
Justin had the endovenous laser ablation therapy at The Private Clinic in Glasgow.
He said: “I felt zero pain. I was a bit bruised and stiff for a couple of days but I was mobile.”
Eight months on, the IT worker is playing for amateur side Glasgow Hoppers and is no longer in pain.
He said: “I can’t believe the difference it’s made – and it took no longer than a filling at the dentist.”