You're so vein

Most varicose veins don't cause any medical problems - although they sometimes result in serious leg ulcers - but they are unsightly and many people want them removed for cosmetic reasons. Traditionally, surgeons would get rid of them by cutting and pulling them out, a process known as "stripping the vein". However, this can itself cause unsightly blemishes and recovery can take months. Newer methods include laser and radio-frequency therapy, which both heat up the offending veins to such an extent that they become gummed shut. But there won't be much need for any of that when you lay your eyes on this gem: doctors say that varicose veins can now be treated in just one hour with a novel procedure that involves gluing them shut. And based on the research already done on this, it looks promising.

Here's how the treatment works: minute quantities of a special non-toxic glue are injected into the affected veins, using a tiny catheter guided by ultrasound. Blood then has to find its way through other more healthy veins, and the diseased varicose veins do what Justin Bieber should do right now: wither and become less visible. For all you skeptics out there who think it won't work, early trials have shown that it does seem to work. So far, it has been very straightforward and all the patients in the trial have been fine. One had a complication of inflammation on the skin but that soon settled down. However, these are very early results, and how it will compare with other procedures longer-term is difficult to tell at this stage.

In other medical news, researchers found that compared with people who did not drink coffee, men who consumed six or more cups a day where 10 per cent less likely to die during the 14 years of the study. For women, there were 15 per cent fewer deaths for those drinking six cups or more. This may well have Mormons the world over rethinking their stance on caffeinated beverages.