A $12-billion market and growing, the field of aesthetic medicine has exploded with new treatments and techniques for improving and restoring the quality, health and appearance of aging skin. Techniques such as tissue tightening, skin resurfacing, cellulite treatments, dermal augmentation, and fat removal are just some of the new advancements in aesthetic medicine that were highlighted at the 2007 American Academy of Dermatology meeting.

VeinRx's balloon-controlled venous ablation technology is designed to address both the medical and cosmetic varicose vein markets. It is a single-use, catheter-based product for delivering a sclerosant to the diseased vein. The balloon prevents the chemical from migrating out of the treatment zone. Physicians thus have greater control over both the dosage and the treatment area. There's also a potential safety benefit since the sclerosing agent cannot disperse into the general circulation.

Vascular Insights isn't saying much yet about its minimally invasive technology for varicose veins, other than it is designed to trigger spasms in the endothelium of the diseased vein in conjunction with the delivery of a sclerosant, a chemical irritant that will further disrupt the vessel wall. This one-two punch will cause veins to stenose very rapidly without risk to surrounding tissues, the company claims, enabling a fast, pain-free procedure in an outpatient setting