More about Varicose Veins

What causes varicose veins? (Credit: Uqbar)

A lot of people suffer from the problem of varicose veins. Varicose and spider veins become more common with increasing age, pregnancy, obesity, a leg injury, sun exposure (especially for those with fair skin), hormonal changes and standing for long periods of time.

Varicose veins are enlarged veins that are usually found on the legs, at the back of the calves or on the inside of a leg. Red or blue veins that appear to look like varicose veins, but are smaller are called spider veins.

People, who have varicose veins tire easily, feel heaviness in their legs, experience skin darkening and numbness in legs, swelling and itchiness. Spider veins tend to remain the same, but varicose veins will most likely enlarge with time, and cause blood clots, infections, skin ulcers, sores and rashes.

It’s said that prevention is better than cure. Varicose veins can be prevented to an extent by taking certain precautions. It is important that your exercise regularly as this gets your circulation running smoothly and helps to strengthen the legs. Cut down on your salt intake, because they can cause swelling and water retention and have foods with more fiber. Try wearing support stockings and avoid tight clothing that restricts.

If you have varicose veins and are looking for a cure, these are the treatment options that a doctor may recommend to you:

Ambulatory Phlebectomy: This involves marking the location of the vein with a special light source and then the vein is pulled out of the leg by making tiny cuts and inserting surgical hooks.

Endoscopic Vein Surgery: This involves removing the affected veins through small cuts.

Laser Surgery: This involves sending bursts of light into the vein to be treated. While this type of treatment avoids needles and incisions, it can still be quite painful. Cooling is usually done to help with the pain from the laser. Some bruising may occur.

Sclerotherapy: A solution is injected into the vein, which makes the walls of the vein to swell and stick together, and then seal shut. The vein turns into scar tissue since the blood flow of the vein has been stopped.

Surgical Litigation and Stripping: In this method, the vein is tied and then removed from the leg. This procedure is carried out under general anesthesia.