Varicose Veins
Overview
What are varicose veins?
Varicose veins are dense clusters of blood vessels that bulge and protrude out of the skin’s surface. They look like a dense mass of twisted, tangled, and knotted ropes or tree trunks on the legs. They can be reddish, bluish, greenish, or skin-colored, and they usually appear on the lower extremities of the body, such as the legs, thighs, and hips. However, in rare cases, they can also appear on other parts of the body. According to studies, 20% of people develop varicose veins at some point in their lives, but they’re more common amongst women.
The following are some quick facts about varicose veins:
- Varicose veins are most common on the inner thighs and calves.
- Varicose veins occur because of increased blood pressure in deeper veins.
- Common risk factors for varicose veins are age, weight gains, pregnancy, family history of vein problems, hormone therapy, and jobs that involve long periods of sitting or standing.
- The worst symptoms of varicose veins can be relieved with some lifestyle changes, such as wearing compression stockings, exercising, and elevating the legs while sitting down.
- The only way to treat varicose veins is through safe, minimally invasive vein treatments.
- Chronic venous insufficiency is the primary root cause of varicose veins.
The Root Cause of Varicose Veins
Varicosities occur because of increased blood pressure in the deeper leg veins, which leads to excess blood accumulation in the veins closer to the skin’s surface, i.e., superficial veins. The accumulation of blood in superficial veins leads to increased vascular dilation and the eventual formation of varicose veins that appear swollen, raised, and enlarged on your legs. Increased blood accumulation might be the direct cause of varicose veins, but chronic venous insufficiency is the root cause of varicose veins (and most other vein problems).
Chronic venous insufficiency is a medical condition wherein your vein valves collapse or malfunction. The human body consists of two types of blood vessels — arteries and veins. The arteries carry oxygenated blood to all the organs in the body, and the veins carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart, where it can be oxygenated again. The veins contain valves that act as one-way doors, allowing blood to flow towards the heart but not backward due to gravity. When your vein valves collapse, blood flows backward and accumulates in the leg veins, eventually leading to vascular dilation and the formation of bulging varicose veins.
The legs are the most common areas for varicose veins because the veins in the legs must carry blood upwards to the heart, i.e., against the force of gravity. As such, when vein valves collapse, gravity forces blood to flow backward, leading to varicose veins on the legs.
Symptoms of Varicose Veins
- Bulging, swollen, raised, enlarged, or tortuous veins
- Swollen ankles and feet
- Frequent leg cramps
- Leg heaviness
- Leg pain
- Restless leg syndrome
- Spider veins around the varicose veins
- Stasis dermatitis, i.e., red, itchy, and dry skin
- Lipodermatosclerosis, i.e., hard fatty deposits underneath the skin
- Skin discoloration in the legs
- Leg ulcers, i.e., non-healing wounds on the legs
Risk Factors for Varicose Veins
Genetic predisposition is the primary risk factor for varicose veins. If your parents have a history of vein problems, there’s a 90% chance that you may develop spider veins and varicose veins. Women are more likely to develop varicose veins because the estrogen and progesterone hormones weaken the vein walls. The risk of varicose veins increases even further after menopause or pregnancy. The risk of varicose veins also increases with age. Another risk factor for varicose veins is a job involving long sitting or standing still, such as teaching, desk jobs, nursing, driving, etc.
The Best Varicose Vein Treatments
Varicose veins can be treated using numerous minimally invasive treatments. Your vein doctor will select the appropriate treatment according to your unique symptoms, the location and size of varicose veins, diagnostic results, medical history, and other factors. Each vein treatment plan must be personalized according to your unique needs, and the vein doctor must address the root cause of varicose veins, i.e., chronic venous insufficiency. Treating varicose veins without addressing the root cause would inevitably cause a relapse.
The following are your varicose vein treatment options:
- Sclerotherapy involves the injection of a sclerosant medicine into spider veins or superficial varicose veins to fuse their walls together, turning them into hardened scar tissues eventually absorbed by the body. This is a cosmetic treatment that only removes the superficial varicose veins without addressing the root cause.
- Endovenous ablation is a minimally invasive treatment for chronic venous insufficiency, the root cause of varicose veins. The vein doctor inserts a catheter into the diseased vein under ultrasound guidance and delivers thermal energy or laser energy, making the vein close off and get destroyed. The accumulated blood reroutes into healthier veins.
- Ambulatory phlebectomy, also known as microsurgery, involves the physical extraction of varicose veins through small incisions on the skin’s surface. This treatment removes the superficial varicose veins, but it doesn’t address the root cause.
- Elevating your legs above your heart’s level while sitting will improve blood circulation towards the heart, alleviating the worst symptoms of vein disease. This isn’t a treatment — it only provides mild and temporary relief.
- Compression stockings apply pressure on your varicose veins to push the accumulated blood towards the heart, alleviating the worst symptoms of vein disease. This is also meant for temporary relief from the discomfort — it’s not a vein treatment.
The Safety of Varicose Vein Treatments
Minimally invasive varicose vein treatments are safe, in-office procedures that conclude within an hour. Ever since 2000, minimally invasive techniques have completely replaced varicose vein surgeries as the treatment of choice. That’s because minimally invasive vein treatments are safer, more effective, and more convenient. They have a nearly perfect success rate, and the treatments don’t involve downtime, so you can resume your daily activities immediately. Our highly-skilled vein doctors in Maryland will select the ideal varicose vein treatments according to your unique needs.
The Diagnosis of Chronic Venous Insufficiency
As mentioned previously, varicose veins are usually caused by underlying chronic venous insufficiency. That’s why diagnosing vein disease is an essential component of your varicose vein treatment. During your appointment, the vein doctor will carefully examine your leg veins, discuss your symptoms, review your medical history, and administer ultrasound diagnostic scans to determine if you have chronic venous insufficiency. After diagnosing underlying vein disease, the vein doctor will curate a personalized vein treatment plan just for you.