What Are Varicose Veins And How To Prevent Them

Varicose veins are a common condition, particularly in women and adults, when the veins get dilated, swollen, and stuffed with blood. Generally, varicose veins can be seen on the legs and appear raised and enlarged, red or bluish-purple, and are often painful.

What Are Varicose Veins?

What are varicose veins, and whether they cause discomfort might often occur in your mind. Well, varicose veins are the bulging cords that are bluish and stretch below your skin's surface. They always impact the feet and legs. Varicose veins are enlarged and tangled veins. They are swollen blood vessels that protrude beneath the surface of your skin. Any vein near the skin surface can also become varicose. Various treatment options are helpful, but varicose veins can reappear.

In varicose veins, the blood pools inside the vein instead of circulation from one valve to the other, raising the venous pressure and chances of congestion that results in bulging and twisted veins as superficial veins possess less muscle backup compared to deep veins, they have greater chances of becoming varicose.

How Do Varicose Veins Occur?

When you have weak walls within your vein, and your valves are not working efficiently, the blood stays back in your vein. This results in the purple and blue swellings you notice on your feet, ankles, or legs. They can also emerge around the pelvic region, particularly in those with children.

Varicose veins appear when there is a weakening of the walls of your vein. Due to a rise in blood pressure within the vein, it weakens and makes your vein dilated. Due to the stretching of your vein, the valves that regulate the movement of the blood in a single direction within your vein fail to function the way they should. Inert or sluggish blood piles up within your vein, which results in bulging, twisting, and swelling.

Any condition that leads to enormous pressure on the abdomen and legs can cause varicose veins. Among the normal pressure inducers are obesity, pregnancy, and standing too long. Leading a sedentary life can also lead to varicosity as infirm muscles provide less blood-pumping activity.

Ageing as veins debilitate with age or a former leg injury that impairs the valve can cause varicosity. Hereditary factors also influence the possibility of having varicose veins.

How To Prevent Varicose Veins

You cannot prevent it, but you can lower your risk of developing varicose veins by leading a healthy and vigorous lifestyle. Healthcare professionals suggest some measures to treat and counter varicose veins.

Some of them are:

• Refrain from standing for long hours to facilitate blood flow
• Elevating your feet upwards of your waist promotes blood flow towards your heart.
• Keeping a normal weight and avoiding excess pounds restricts pressure in the blood vessels
• Remaining active and keep away from sitting without any movement for long periods
• Abstain from smoking and tobacco use as it reduces blood flow, impairs blood vessels, and leads to a large number of health issues.
• Putting on compression stockings and pantyhose aids in blood circulation and presses your veins, which can inhibit varicose veins from deteriorating.
• Wear properly fitted clothes to promote blood flow.
• Being fit and exercising regularly helps to maintain toned leg muscles, blood flow, and weight control.
• During pregnancy, rest on your left side instead of the back, as this position reduces pressure originating out of the uterus on the veins of the pelvic region. Moreover, it also enhances blood flow towards the fetus.
• Give up high heels, as wearing them for prolonged hours can hamper circulation. Low-heel or flat shoes improve circulation and also the calf muscle tone.

What Happens If You Have Varicose Veins

The signs and symptoms of varicose veins are visible in the form of twisted and deformed veins, generally on your legs. You can also experience swelling, heaviness, and pain over or surrounding the lumpy and swollen veins. Moreover, there can also be muscle cramping, burning, and inflammation in the lower legs. The causes of varicose veins in legs can result from a rise in the blood pressure in your veins due to being overweight, constantly standing or sitting for a long time, or having a sedentary lifestyle.

The treatment for varicose veins in legs can also be non-invasive by way of laser treatment on the skin surface and the use of intense heat through ablation.

In a few instances, you can form discoloration and inflammation, while on severe occasions, bleeding of the veins and the formation of ulcers can also occur.

When inflamed, varicose veins are tender and soft to the touch and can impede circulation to the extent of causing itchy skin, bloated ankles, and pain in the impacted limb.

How To Choose A Best Doctor To Cure Varicose Veins?

For treating varicose veins, seeking the best doctor is critical for effective care and therapy. Selecting the best specialist, also called a phlebologist, is a medical expert in diagnosing and offering remedies for venous disorders.

• Check the qualifications and board certification in venous or vascular medicine, which suggests that the doctor has undergone the mandatory requisites for practice.
• Find out about the specialist's experience in performing procedures and effective treatments for varicose veins.
• Knowledge of advanced treatment methods in varicose veins as conventional treatments have been substituted by minimally invasive procedures.
• Look for positive feedback and reviews from former patients, which can provide helpful insights into the treatment results of the specialist.
• The best specialists will draw up a personalized treatment strategy based on your situation.
• Patient-Centric Approach for providing the best care
• Seek referrals from others to land up to a credible specialist with a successful track record

Conclusion

Venous veins can be taken care of through vascular assessment by a specialist to prevent varicose veins progression. The query as to what are varicose veins is answered in this blog as you gain an understanding of their definition, manifestations, causes, prevention, and treatment options for remedy. Suppose there is severity in the condition where you cope with soreness in the legs, blood clots, or persistent inflammation. In that case, a visit to your physician is necessary if any such symptoms develop.