Varicose veins affect up to 30 percent of people in their lifetime, the majority of them women. However, new treatments may offer viable solutions for all.
What are Varicose Veins?
Varicose veins are enlarged or engorged veins that protrude from the legs. They can be mild in appearance, like broken capillaries on the skin surface, ranging to very large, swollen veins that bulge through the skin.
Varicose Veins are typically the result of back-pressure of blood into the legs, which causes the veins to dilate and become varicose. The enlargement causes the valves in varicose veins to physically separate. This means gravity reverses the flow of blood into the legs, rather than to the heart. This increased venous pressure overloads normal veins, resulting in more varicose veins.
Many patients experience burning, stinging, aching (particularly pre-menstrually), throbbing, heaviness, restless legs and leg cramps.
If left untreated, skin changes including brown discolouration, dermatitis of the lower legs, ulcers and scarring may result. They can bleed, cause ankle swelling and they can thrombose, becoming red, angry and painful due to clotting of the blood.
What causes Varicose Veins?
Varicose are largely a genetic condition, with women treated up to four times more than men. This is mainly due to pregnancy and hormones including the contraceptive pill and Hormone Replacement Therapay (HRT). Women are also typically more pro-active at seeking attention to medical problems.
Varicose veins can develop with pregnancy and become worse with each pregnancy. They are also often associated with occupations that involve prolonged standing.
Obesity can also be a culprit, simply due to a greater surface area of skin – and the response to treatment in these cases is poorer.
Varicose veins can occur after trauma. It is important to note that crossing your legs does not cause varicose veins.
At Home Varicose Veins Treatment
While there is no known at-home cure for varicose veins, there are things you can do to ease the discomfort and aim to prevent more from occurring.
– Maintain an ideal weight
Carrying excess weight can lead to varicose veins.
– Exercise and stretch
This promotes strong blood flow. Some exercises are better for improving circulation. Try swimming, walking, hiking and running as well as leg-sculpting exercises like squats, lunges, step ups, box jumps and calf raises.
– Get Moving
Avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time. Boost circulation by taking a break from your desk and going for a walk, taking the stairs instead of talking the lift, or simply moving around the house or office. Avoid prolonged sitting or standing, which may increase leg pain and swelling.
– Elevate your legs
Sit or lie down with your legs elevate above your body (up against a wall is best). This helps to boost your body’s natural circulation.
– Dry body brushing
Dry Body brushing is renowned for boosting circulation and lymphatic drainage. The best time to body brush is just before a shower or bath.
– Massage
A lymphatic drainage massage will help boost circulation, too.
– Stay hydrated
Drinking plenty of purified water keeps you hydrated and also helps with healthy circulation.
– Wear compression stockings
They will help compress and support your veins and help promote normal blood flow. Wearing the stockings whenever you can, can also help to keep swelling to a minimum and reduce the achiness in your legs. It is recommended you wear compression stockings on long-haul flights to avoid leg swelling.
In Clinic Varicose Veins Treatments
With any type of vein treatment, whether surgical or non-surgical, recurrences of other veins in the areas treated are to be expected.
Before seeking treatment ask your doctor to perform a CW Doppler study. This hand-held device can detect venous reflux and identify abnormal veins that are not visible externally. A duplex scan enables the practitioner to see the veins and test their functionality. It is significantly more accurate than a Doppler examination, although more expensive and not always available.
Varicose veins can be treated by a number of different methods. The non-surgical treatments include Superficial Sclerotherapy, Ultrasound Guided Sclerotherapy, Ambulatory Phlebectomy and Endovenous Laser Treatment. Most patients find these procedures unpleasant, but tolerable.
