Do you know about a medical condition involving varicose veins, spider veins, and reticular veins?
Varicose veins are swollen, ropy veins that are relatively close to the surface of the skin. Reticular veins have been relatively smaller, fine blue veins found under the skin. Spider veins are smaller, red or blue veins deep in the layer of the skin.
What would cause varicose veins?
The functionality of leg veins has been to carry blood back to the heart. During an activity, such as walking, the calf muscle would act as a pump, thereby compressing the leg veins and forcing the blood back to the heart.
For prevention of the blood going in a wrong direction, veins encompass one-way valves. These would prevent the backward flow of blood down the leg. If the valves become faulty, the blood would flow back into superficial veins and down the leg.
The process is called reflux. It would result in veins enlarging and becoming varicose. After the veins become varicose, they would lose their ability to snap back into their correct shape. It would become plastic rather than staying elastic.
Varicose veins cannot heal themselves. The condition could be stabilized with a compression hose or managed with different vein treatment plans. The greater saphenous vein would be the most frequently damaged veins leading to varicose veins in the leg. You could use the evlt procedure to rectify the damage.
Are you at risk for varicose veins?
Several risk factors have been associated with varicose veins. Such risks would be inclusive of a family history of varicose veins, pregnancy, obesity, hormonal changes at menopause, previous vein diseases, deep venous thrombosis, or prolonged sitting and standing work. Women suffer from varicose veins more than men do. Moreover, varicose veins could appear after trauma to the area.
What symptoms of varicose veins should you be aware of?
Varicose veins might cause leg aches. The ankles, feet, and calf might swell towards the end of the day, especially in hot weather conditions. Varicose veins could become inflamed and sore, causing redness of the skin around the veins.
Skin would change from long standing vein issues inclusive of thickening of the skin, red rashes, a brown discoloration, and skin infections. Most patients with severe vein issues could develop ankle sores called venous ulceration. Such a condition could be difficult to heal. However, it could be treated with the underlying vein problem for the prevention of reflux leading to ulceration.