Varicose veins (varicosities, spider veins) are veins which became swollen and tortuous. Varicosities may occur in any vein in the body, although it usually affects the veins in the lower extremities. These veins are often unsightly as it bulges out and may be seen through the skin as blue or purple streaks branching across the legs—hence the term “spider veins” is often used to describe this condition.
Varicose Veins Causes
Causes of varicose veins may include, but are not limited to:
• Age – As one gets older, the veins get weaker and less elastic. The valves inside these veins get weaker too. Leg and thigh veins work double time as the valves need to pump blood against gravity back to the heart.
At its weakened state, the valves allow blood to backflow and stay within the veins causing it to swell. As the person with this condition spend more time walking and standing for long hours, the leg muscle contract against the vein, increasing the pressure inside.
• Pregnancy – Varicose veins occur in pregnant women due to the hormonal changes during pregnancy. These hormonal changes are contributory to the increase in blood volume to support the developing fetus. However, with the increased blood volume, there is a decreased upward flow of blood through the veins from the legs going back up the heart. This scenario increases the pressure within the leg veins, causing it to swell.
Varicose veins usually worsen in the third trimester where the expanding uterus adds to the pressure build-up in the leg veins. However, pregnancy-related varicosities usually improve a few months after delivery without medical intervention.
Varicose veins symptoms may vary from simply esthetic problems (appearing as dark veins branching under the skin) with associated mild discomfort to causing severe pain. Symptomatic cases may worsen at the end of the day after walking, standing or sitting for long hours.
Varicose Veins Treatment
Treatment of varicosities also vary depending on the severity of symptoms. It ranges from simple lifestyle modification for minor cases to surgical cases for severe ones.
For mild cases, management may be:
Self-care
Measures to prevent pressure build-up in the leg veins such as exercise, weight loss, avoiding tight clothes and not standing/ walking for long hours may help prevent varicosities or alleviate symptoms for existing cases. Keeping the legs elevated like propping it up on a pillow or stool will also help.
Varicose Veins Lifestyle and home remedies
• Exercise – Simple exercise like walking improves blood circulation in the lower extremities.
• Watch your weight and your diet – Excess weight contributes to the increase in pressure within the leg veins, thus losing weight will help blood within your legs flow easily. A low-salt diet will further prevent swelling of the leg veins.
• Watch what you wear – Wearing high heels should be minimized since it does not promote efficient blood circulation in the leg area. Low-heeled shoes are recommended since it helps strengthen the calf muscles and improve blood flow. Wearing tight clothes should also be avoided since it can make varicose veins much worse. Tight bottoms, like pants, prevent proper blood flow in the leg area.
• Elevate your legs – Elevating the legs in between breaks from walking helps promote blood flow from the legs towards the heart. It also relieves varicose veins symptoms such as swelling and pain.
• Avoid long periods of sitting or standing – This should be done to further help blood to circulate freely from the leg veins. Standing or sitting for long periods is said to increase pressing in the abdomen, which prevents blood to go up from the leg area. Likewise, crossing your legs should be prevented since it compresses the veins, interfering with proper blood flow.
Compression stockings
If the above self-management did not help, wearing compression stockings for the entire day is recommended. This type of stockings support the legs and improve circulation by compressing the legs more in the ankle area while decreasing compression as it goes up towards the knees
After using the above regimen and there is still no improvement, the following medical procedures may be done:
Varicose Veins Sclerotherapy
This procedure involves injecting the veins with a solution that will eventually close the veins, thus blood flow will be rerouted to other healthy veins. This method is short, requires no anesthesia and the patient is allowed to walk after the procedure.
Varicose veins laser treatment
Laser treatment for varicosities is a good option for those who do not like needle injections or incisions. However, this treatment is ideal only for varicosities of smaller diameter. It involves applying laser to the skin over the area where the varicose veins are. It may take several weeks for the affected veins to fade.
Catheter-assisted procedures
These procedures involves inserting a catheter, guided by ultrasound, into the affected vein. The catheter applies heat into the vein and causes it to close. Catheter-assisted procedures are best for larger varicosities.
Vein stripping
This procedure removes larger surface veins using incisions under general or local anesthesia. The circulation is rerouted to the deeper leg veins.
Ambulatory phlebectomy (fluh-BEK-to-me).
A phlebectomy hook is used to remove the faulty veins through numerous skin punctures. This is done under local anesthesia.
Endoscopic varicose veins surgery
This procedure makes use of an endoscope which is similar to a video camera, albeit much smaller. The endoscope is inserted into the affected vein to see through it and eventually the vein is removed through small incisions. This is good for severe cases of varicosities and those which already involves ulcerations. Patients are sent home after the procedure and may resume normal duties within a week.
Varicose Alternative medicine
There are natural medicines used for treatment of varicose vein. The most popular among them is horse chestnut seed extract which is more popular in treating chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). It is said to contain an active ingredient which improves the signs and symptoms associated with varicose veins. However, it is still best to consult with your primary physician first before trying any medical or herbal supplement.
