Vein Care Decrease Your Pain

Varicose veins are twisted, bulging, swollen blood vessels near the surface of the skin. They are most often found in the legs, but they can also appear in other places on the body. They are a result of weakened vein walls and malfunctioning valves, allowing blood to back up or pool in the enlarged vein. Varicose veins can cause pain and discomfort. In some cases, they can lead to skin ulcers or blood clots. Untreated, varicose veins can even rupture for more details contact Center for Advanced Vein Care.

A medical professional can diagnose varicose veins during a physical examination. Your doctor will feel your leg muscles while they are at rest and while you walk and stand. They will look at your leg veins, and they may order an ultrasound test. This test is typically done in a vein clinic, where you will receive a duplex ultrasound evaluation.

The test provides a color-flow doppler ultrasound and gray scale B-mode ultrasound, which show your veins and the speed of blood flow through them. The results of this test will help your doctor determine the best vein treatment for you.

Some lifestyle factors can increase your risk of varicose veins. Gender is a big factor, because female hormones relax the walls of the veins and can lead to their stretching. This can happen while a woman is pregnant, taking birth control pills or going through menopause. Family history is another factor, as varicose veins tend to run in families. A person's age can also be a factor, because as you get older, the vein walls and valves can weaken and become faulty.

There are many treatments for varicose veins, and your healthcare professional will recommend the most appropriate one for you. For example, compression stockings can reduce pain and prevent complications by keeping blood flowing normally through your veins.

Another common treatment is radiofrequency ablation. This is a minimally invasive procedure in which your vein specialist inserts a thin tube (catheter) into an enlarged vein. This catheter delivers heat to the tip of the vein. This causes the wall of the vein to collapse and seal shut, preventing blood from flowing through it. The blood is then redirected to healthy veins.

Other options include sclerotherapy, in which a medicine is injected into the enlarged vein to scar it and close it. This is usually an outpatient procedure, and it can be used on smaller varicose veins. If these treatments don't work, your doctor might recommend surgery to remove the varicose veins. This includes ligation and stripping, in which your doctor first ties off a varicose vein before the place where it joins a deep vein, then removes it through small cuts in the skin (stripping). This procedure is generally an outpatient surgery. In rare cases, this surgery can cause bruising and bleeding, and it can sometimes lead to blood clots in the other deep veins in your leg. This is known as DVT, or deep vein thrombosis. It can be life-threatening and requires urgent treatment.