What’s the meaning of Varicose veins?
What does varicose veins mean? Let me explain this term by giving an example of one patient who visited my clinic 2 months back.
Case Study
Sheela [name changed], a 62-year-old lady, came to my clinic with c/o pain and swelling in the lower parts of leg. I noticed that she had some blue colored blood vessels spreading like spider’s legs around the knees and ankle. She also had marks of bruising near the ankles, caused by itching due to these swollen veins.
Taking all this into consideration, I concluded that the swollen, tortuous and twisted veins were the cause of Sheela’s problems. This was a varicosity of veins, a condition which is commonly seen these days in people who stand or sit a lot.
Here’s a video, that shows you how this actually looks like:
Varicose veins are swollen, twisted or tortuous veins that usually appear blue or dark purple [as seen above].
As you all know, veins are blood vessels that carry impure blood from different parts of the body back to the heart to get oxygenated in the lungs. These veins have valves that opens towards the heart and prevent backflow of blood.
Varicose veins are the enlarged veins that are close to the skin surface, caused by failure of these very valves.
These damaged valves inside the veins reduce the ability of the blood to return back to the heart from the legs.
They occur when valves in the veins do not work properly, causing blood to pool and the veins to enlarge. They often develop in the legs and can cause discomfort, pain, or a heavy feeling in the affected area.
They appear most commonly in people who stand for long periods of time. They’re also more common after pregnancy, in people with weak valves in their veins, and in individuals with family history of varicose veins.
As frustrating as it can be to have varicose veins, they’re not serious and won’t lead to any permanent effects on your health. However, that doesn’t mean you should ignore them or think they don’t affect your life.
Read on to learn more about varicose veins, the symptoms you may experience from them, and how you can manage their appearance.
How do they appear to us?
Varicose veins are swollen and weakened veins, as shown below. They appear most commonly in people who stand for long periods of time.
They’re also more common after pregnancy, in people with weak valves in their veins, and in individuals with family history of varicose veins.
Varicose veins are most commonly found in the legs. However, they can also appear in the arms, calves, and even the face.
Even though all veins function to move blood back to the heart, you’re probably more familiar with the ones in your arms, legs, and feet.
These veins are in your lower extremities, larger and part of the venous system that moves blood back to your heart.
Why do we get Varicose Veins?
I had written a similar post in the past about veins in the deep parts of our body in the article on Deep Vein Thrombosis. In this article, you learned about the damage to valves of deeper veins that led to clot formation in these veins.
In the present article, we learn about veins that are affected that are visible to us just below our skin.
There’s no one reason why a person develops varicose veins. Instead, they are the result of a variety of factors.
The picture below shows how blood flows towards the heart in normal veins, where the valves of veins open upwards [left hand side] and on the right side, you can see how a valve gets damaged leading to backflow of blood.
When standing for long periods of time, your feet experience a lot of changes. They swell, and blood pools in your lower extremities as a result of gravity. This pooled blood is what causes varicose veins.
Varicose veins frequently occur in individuals who spend extended periods on their feet, including nurses and those working in the service sector.
They are also prevalent following pregnancy in women with weak vein valves, and among those with a family history of varicose veins.
Varicose veins aren’t serious and won’t lead to any permanent effects on your health.That doesn’t mean you should ignore them or think they don’t affect your life.
However, varicose veins shouldn’t be taken lightly. They, along with other leg veins disorders, affect many people worldwide.
They’re especially common in people aged 35 and older, especially those who are pregnant, overweight, or have a family history of these veins.
Where can you find Varicose Veins?
Varicose veins can appear on any part of your body where blood is flowing. This includes the legs, arms, and face. Varicose veins in the legs are the most common, though.
They’re often found on the calves, just above the ankles, around the knees, and sometimes at the top of the legs. However, varicose veins aren’t limited only to the legs. The veins in your face may also become defective and dilated, leading to varicose veins around your eyes and nose.
How do Varicose Veins affect our lives?
Varicose veins, especially those in the legs, can affect your life in a few ways. They aren’t usually painful, but they can cause itching, burning, and swelling in the affected area.
Varicose veins are more of an aesthetic problem, but they can lead to other health issues. If the veins in your lower extremities become weakened, they can burst and lead to more serious conditions.
Varicose veins can lead to blood clots, ulcers, infections, and skin discoloration. They can also lead to more serious conditions, like blood clots in the lungs (pulmonary embolism).
Particular types of blood clots, called deep vein thrombosis (DVT), can cause discomfort and lead to more serious complications, like heart attacks and strokes.
Managing the appearance of Varicose Veins
There are many ways to manage the appearance of varicose veins. If they’re mild and aren’t accompanied by pain, you may not have to do much.
After a long day of standing or after a long walk, you can soak your legs in warm water to help them feel better.
If you have more advanced varicose veins that cause discomfort, itching, and pain, you can consult a cardiovascular surgeon or a phlebologist.
They may recommend a few things, such as bandaging to reduce swelling, compression socks to push the blood back up to the heart, and ointments to soothe the skin. Varicose veins can be treated with minimally invasive procedures, such as sclerotherapy, endovenous laser ablation, or radiofrequency ablation [see the video below].
These procedures are done in the hospital and can help you manage the appearance of varicose veins.
Chronic Venous Insufficiency
This is a condition similar to having varicose veins causing swelling in feet and ankles. Uncontrolled hypertension is said to be the cause of CVI. Here is a detailed study on CVI.
Managing the pain of varicose veins
While you can manage the appearance of varicose veins, you can’t ignore their level of pain.
Varicose veins, in and of themselves, aren’t usually painful. However, if they lead to other health issues such as skin infections or ulcers, they can cause pain.
If you have varicose veins that cause pain, you may have to take antibiotics to treat the skin infection or apply ointments to soothe the skin. If the pain persists, you can consider seeing a dermatologist or a vascular surgeon.
They can help you manage the pain and better treat the skin infection. They may also recommend that you modify your daily activities to help ease the pain.
This may include avoiding standing for long periods of time and wearing compression socks to help the blood flow back to the heart.
Useful resources –
- Management of Varicose Veins
- Review On Varicose Veins Clinical Presentation and Their Management
- A Review on Varicose Veins
- Varix
- Healthiack
Medications for varicose veins
[ The medication mentioned in this article is for information purpose only and should be taken only after consultation with your family physician]
No oral medicines are effective in the treatment of varicose veins. However, in the early stages of varicose veins, we doctors recommend medicines like dobisilate [Dobisin], diosmin [Daflon], etc., though they may not be very effective.
Conclusion
If you’ve been experiencing pain or an increase in swelling in your legs, you may have varicose veins.
Varicose veins are most common in people who stand for long periods of time and who have high blood pressure. They can also appear after you’ve given birth, if you’re overweight, or if you have a family history of them.
Disclosure
This article may contain some affiliate links that when clicked and a purchase is made may help get the author a commission without affecting the purchaser.
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