Varicose (VAR-i-kos) veins are swollen, twisted veins that y'all tin see just nether the surface of the skin. These veins usually occur in the legs; however, they can also course in other parts of your body. Varicose veins are a mutual condition, and ordinarily cause few signs or symptoms. In some cases, varicose veins may crusade complications, such as balmy to moderate pain, blood clots, or skin ulcers.

Veins are blood vessels that carry blood from your body's tissues to your heart. The heart pumps the blood to your lungs to option upwards oxygen. The oxygen-rich blood is and so pumped out to your body through your arteries.  From your arteries, the blood flows through tiny claret vessels called capillaries, where information technology gives up its oxygen to the torso's tissues. Your claret then returns to your middle through your veins to option up more oxygen.

Veins have ane-way valves that assistance keep blood flowing toward your heart. If your valves are weak or damaged, blood can back up and puddle in your veins. This causes the veins to great, which tin pb to varicose veins. A number of factors may increase your take a chance for varicose veins, including family unit history, age, gender, pregnancy, overweight or obesity, and lack of move.

Varicose veins are treated with lifestyle changes and medical procedures. The goals of treatment are to relieve symptoms, prevent complications, and better appearance.

Outlook

Varicose veins don't usually cause medical problems. If your varicose veins cause any signs and symptoms, your dr. may propose simply making lifestyle changes.

In some cases, varicose veins tin cause complications, such as hurting, blood clots, or peel ulcers. If your condition is more than severe, your doctor may recommend one or more medical procedures. Some people cull to take these procedures to improve the appearance of their varicose veins or to relieve pain.

A number of treatments are available for varicose veins that are quick and easy, and don't crave a long recovery time.

Vein Problems Related to Varicose Veins

A number of vein issues are related to varicose veins, such as telangiectasias (tel-AN-juh-ek-TA-ze-uhs), spider veins, varicoceles (VAR-i-ko-seals), and other vein issues.

Telangiectasias

Telangiectasias are pocket-size clusters of blood vessels. They're usually found on the upper body, including the face.

These claret vessels appear red. They may form during pregnancy and often are found in people who accept certain genetic disorders, viral infections, or other medical conditions, such equally liver illness.

Because telangiectasias can be a sign of a more than serious condition, meet your doctor if you lot recollect you have them.

Spider Veins

Spider veins are a smaller version of varicose veins and a less serious blazon of telangiectasias. Spider veins involve the capillaries, the smallest blood vessels in the body.

Spider veins often show up on the legs and face up. They usually look like a spider web or tree branch and can be red or blue. They ordinarily aren't a medical business organisation.

Varicoceles

Varicoceles are varicose veins in the scrotum (the skin over the testicles). Varicoceles may exist linked to male infertility. If yous think y'all have varicoceles, see your md.

Other Related Vein Problems

Other types of varicose veins include venous lakes, reticular veins, and hemorrhoids. Venous lakes are varicose veins that appear on the face and neck.

Reticular veins are flat bluish veins oft seen behind the knees. Hemorrhoids are varicose veins in and around the anus.

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Causes

Weak or damaged valves in the veins can cause varicose veins. After your arteries evangelize oxygen-rich blood to your body, your veins return the blood to your eye. The veins in your legs must piece of work confronting gravity to do this.

One-style valves inside the veins open to let blood menstruum through and then shut to keep blood from flowing backward. If the valves are weak or damaged, blood can back upward and pool in your veins. This causes the veins to smashing.

Weak valves may exist due to weak vein walls. When the walls of the veins are weak, they lose their normal elasticity and become like an overstretched rubber band. This makes the walls of the veins longer and wider, and causes the flaps of the valves to separate.

When the valve flaps dissever, claret can menses backward through the valves. The backflow of blood fills the veins and stretches the walls even more than. As a consequence, the veins get bigger, keen, and often get twisted as they try to squeeze into their normal space. These are varicose veins.

Normal Vein and Varicose Vein

varicose veins

The analogy shows how a varicose vein forms in a leg. Effigy A shows a normal vein with a working valve and normal claret flow. Effigy B shows a varicose vein with a plain-featured valve, aberrant blood flow, and sparse, stretched walls. The middle image shows where varicose veins might announced in a leg.

You may be at college risk for weak vein walls due to increasing age or a family unit history of varicose veins. You may also exist at college risk if you have increased pressure in your veins due to overweight or obesity, or pregnancy.

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Take chances Factors

A number of factors may increment your risk for varicose veins, including family history, age, gender, pregnancy, overweight or obesity, and lack of movement.

Family unit History

Having family members who take varicose veins may raise your risk for the condition. Nigh half of all people who accept varicose veins have a family unit history of them.

Historic period

Getting older may put you lot at higher adventure for varicose veins. The normal article of clothing and tear of aging may cause the valves in your veins to weaken and not work equally well.

Gender

Women tend to get varicose veins more than oftentimes than men. Hormonal changes that occur during puberty, pregnancy, menopause, or with the use of birth command pills may raise a adult female'south chances of getting varicose veins.

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, the growing fetus puts pressure on the veins in the legs. Varicose veins that occur during pregnancy usually go ameliorate within 3 to 12 months of commitment.

Overweight or Obesity

Existence overweight or obese tin can put extra pressure level on your veins. This tin lead to varicose veins.

Lack of Movement

Standing or sitting for a long fourth dimension, peculiarly with your legs bent or crossed, may heighten your gamble for varicose veins. This is because staying in 1 position for a long time may force your veins to piece of work harder to pump claret to your heart.

Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of varicose veins include:

  • Large veins that y'all tin run into on your skin.
  • Mild swelling of your ankles and feet.
  • Painful, achy, or "heavy" legs.
  • Throbbing or cramping in your legs.
  • Itchy legs, specially on the lower leg and ankle. This is sometimes incorrectly diagnosed equally dry out skin.
  • Discolored peel in the area around the varicose vein.

Signs of telangiectasias are ruddy clusters of veins that yous tin meet on your pare. They're usually found on the upper body, including the face. Signs of spider veins are red or blue veins in a web pattern that often show up on the legs and face up.

See your doctor if you have these signs and symptoms. They also may be signs of other, sometimes more than serious weather.

Complications

Sometimes varicose veins can atomic number 82 to dermatitis (der-ma-TI-tis), an itchy rash. If y'all have varicose veins in your legs, dermatitis may affect your lower leg or ankle. Dermatitis can cause bleeding or skin ulcers if the skin is scratched or irritated.

Varicose veins may also lead to a condition called superficial thrombophlebitis (THROM-bo-fleh-BI-tis). Thrombophlebitis is a blood clot in a vein. Superficial thrombophlebitis means that the blood clot occurs in a vein close to the surface of the skin. This type of blood clot may cause pain and other problems in the affected area.

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Diagnosis

Doctors oft diagnose varicose veins based on a physical exam alone. Sometimes tests or procedures are washed to find out the extent of the problem and to rule out other disorders.

Specialists Involved

If you have varicose veins, you may meet a vascular medicine specialist or vascular surgeon. These are doctors who specialize in claret vessel conditions. Yous as well may see a dermatologist. This is a doctor who specializes in skin weather condition.

Physical Exam

To check for varicose veins in your legs, your doctor will look at your legs while you're continuing or sitting with your legs dangling. He or she may inquire you most your signs and symptoms, including any pain you're having.

Diagnostic Tests and Procedures

Doppler Ultrasound

Your doctor may recommend a Doppler ultrasound to bank check blood flow in your veins and to wait for claret clots. A Doppler ultrasound uses sound waves to create pictures of structures in your body.

During this test, a handheld device volition be placed on your torso and passed dorsum and forth over the afflicted area. A computer will convert the sound waves into a film of the claret flow in your arteries and veins.

Angiogram

Although rare, your doctor may order an angiogram to get a more detailed look at the blood period through your blood vessels. For this procedure, dye is injected into your veins. The dye outlines your veins on ten-ray images.

An angiogram can help your doctor ostend whether you accept varicose veins or another trouble.

Treatment Overview

Varicose veins are treated with lifestyle changes and medical procedures. The goals of treatment are to relieve symptoms, forestall complications, and improve appearance.

If your varicose veins cause any minor symptoms, your doctor may suggest simply making lifestyle changes. If your symptoms are more astringent, your dr. may recommend i or more than medical procedures. For example, yous may need a medical procedure if yous have pregnant pain, blood clots, or skin disorders as a issue of your varicose veins.

Some people who take varicose veins choose to have procedures to ameliorate the appearance of their varicose veins.

Although handling can help existing varicose veins, it tin can't proceed new varicose veins from forming.

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Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle changes are often the get-go treatment for varicose veins. These changes can foreclose varicose veins from getting worse, reduce pain, and filibuster other varicose veins from forming. Lifestyle changes include the following:

  • Avoid standing or sitting for long periods without taking a break. When sitting, avert crossing your legs. Enhance your legs when sitting, resting, or sleeping. When you tin can, raise your legs to a higher place the level of your heart.
  • Do physical activities to get your legs moving and improve muscle tone. This helps blood move through your veins.
  • If you're overweight or obese, lose weight. This volition improve blood flow and ease the pressure level on your veins.
  • Avert wearing tight apparel, specially those that are tight around your waist, groin (upper thighs), and legs. Tight clothes can make varicose veins worse.
  • Avert wearing high heels for long periods. Lower heeled shoes can help tone your calf muscles. Toned muscles help blood movement through the veins.

Your md may recommend compression stockings. These stockings create gentle force per unit area up the leg. This pressure level keeps blood from pooling and decreases swelling in the legs.

At that place are three types of compression stockings. Ane blazon is back up pantyhose - these offer the least corporeality of force per unit area. A 2d type is over-the-counter compression hose, which give a fiddling more than force per unit area than support pantyhose. Over-the-counter compression hose are sold in medical supply stores and pharmacies.

Prescription-force compression hose are the third type of compression stockings. These stockings offering the greatest amount of pressure, and are also sold in medical supply stores and pharmacies. Still, you will demand to be fitted for them in the store past a peculiarly trained person.

Procedures & Surgical Interventions

Medical procedures are done either to remove varicose veins or to shut them. Removing or closing varicose veins usually doesn't cause problems with claret flow because the blood starts moving through other veins.

You may exist treated with one or more of the procedures listed beneath. Common side effects right after most of these procedures include bruising, swelling, skin discoloration, and slight pain.

The side effects are nearly astringent with vein stripping and ligation (li-GA-shun). Although rare, this process can cause severe pain, infection, blood clots, and scarring.

Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy (SKLER-o-ther-a-pe) uses a liquid chemical to shut off a varicose vein. The chemical is injected into the vein to crusade irritation and scarring inside the vein. The irritation and scarring cause the vein to close off, and it fades away.

This process is often used to treat smaller varicose veins and spider veins. It can exist done in your doctor'due south function, while y'all stand. Yous may need several treatments to completely close off a vein.

Treatments are typically done every 4 to 6 weeks. Following treatments, your legs volition exist wrapped in rubberband bandaging to assist healing and decrease swelling.

Microsclerotherapy

Microsclerotherapy (MI-kro-SKLER-o-ther-a-pe) is used to treat spider veins and other very small varicose veins. A small amount of liquid chemical is injected into a vein using a very fine needle. The chemic scars the inner lining of the vein, causing information technology to close off.

Laser Surgery

This procedure applies low-cal energy from a light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation onto a varicose vein. The laser low-cal makes the vein fade away. Laser surgery is by and large used to treat smaller varicose veins. No cutting or injection of chemicals is involved.

Endovenous Ablation Therapy

Endovenous ablation (ab-LA-shun) therapy uses lasers or radiowaves to create heat to shut off a varicose vein. Your doctor makes a tiny cutting in your pare near the varicose vein. He or she then inserts a small tube called a catheter into the vein. A device at the tip of the tube heats up the within of the vein and closes information technology off.

You volition exist awake during this procedure, only your doctor will numb the area effectually the vein. Yous can usually go home the same day as the procedure.

Endoscopic Vein Surgery

For endoscopic (en-practise-SKOP-ik) vein surgery, your medico volition make a small cutting in your skin near a varicose vein. He or she then uses a tiny camera at the end of a thin tube to move through the vein. A surgical device at the end of the camera is used to close the vein. Endoscopic vein surgery is commonly only used in astringent cases when varicose veins are causing peel ulcers. Afterward the procedure, y'all tin can usually return to your normal activities within a few weeks.

Ambulatory Phlebectomy

For convalescent phlebectomy (fle-BEK-to-me), your md will make small cuts in your skin to remove modest varicose veins. This procedure is usually done to remove the varicose veins closest to the surface of your skin. You lot volition be awake during the procedure, simply your doc will numb the surface area effectually the vein. Usually, you lot can go domicile the same twenty-four hours that the procedure is washed.

Vein Stripping and Ligation

Vein stripping and ligation is typically merely performed for astringent cases of varicose veins. The procedure involves tying shut and removing the veins through small cuts in your skin. You volition be given medicine to temporarily put you to sleep so y'all don't feel any hurting during the procedure. Vein stripping and ligation is usually done as an outpatient procedure. The recovery fourth dimension from the procedure is virtually one to 4 weeks.

Limiting the Effects of Varicose Veins

You tin't prevent varicose veins from forming. However, you lot can prevent the ones you lot have from getting worse. You can also accept steps to delay other varicose veins from forming:

  • Avoid continuing or sitting for long periods without taking a suspension.
  • When sitting, avert crossing your legs. Heighten your legs when sitting, resting, or sleeping. When you can, raise your legs above the level of your heart.
  • Exercise physical activities to get your legs moving and ameliorate musculus tone. This helps blood movement through your veins.
  • If you're overweight or obese, lose weight. This volition amend blood flow and ease the pressure on your veins.
  • Avoid wearing tight clothes, particularly those that are tight around your waist, groin (upper thighs), and legs. Tight clothes can brand varicose veins worse.
  • Avoid wearing high heels for long periods. Lower heeled shoes can assist tone your calf muscles. Toned muscles help blood move through the veins.
  • Wear pinch stockings if your doctor advises you to. These stockings create gentle pressure upwards the leg. This pressure keeps blood from pooling in the veins and decreases swelling in the legs.

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