VARICOSE VEINS
Varicose veins are enlarged veins that are swollen and raised above the surface of the skin. They can be dark purple or blue, and look twisted and bulging. Varicose veins are commonly found on the backs of the calves or on the inside of the leg. They develop when valves in the veins that allow blood to flow toward the heart stop working properly. As a result, blood pools in the veins and causes them to get larger.
Varicose veins affect 1 out of 2 people over age 50. They are more common in women than men. Hemorrhoids are a type of varicose vein. Spider veins are like varicose veins, but they are smaller.
Exercising, losing weight, elevating your legs when resting and not crossing them when sitting can help keep varicose veins from getting worse. Wearing loose clothing and avoiding long periods of standing can also help. If varicose veins are painful or you don't like the way they look, your doctor may recommend procedures to remove them.Varicose Veins – Spider veins:
Question: How can I get rid of spider and varicose veins on my thighs?
Answer: Spider and varicose veins--which affect one in five men and one in three women--occur when the veins in the legs swell. Sometimes obesity, pregnancy, or chronic straining during urinating or bowel movements interfere with normal circulation, causing the veins in the legs to swell. The swelling of small veins near the skin causes purple "spider-like" veins. When larger veins swell, they are called varicose veins. Unlike spider veins, varicose veins may be painful and can cause ankle swelling.
Spider veins can be covered with cosmetic creams to hide the veins. Maintaining a healthy body weight and keeping muscles toned with regular exercise can help prevent them from appearing in the first place.
Varicose veins can be treated with tight-fitting compression stockings, which help improve circulation and decrease ankle swelling. Varicose veins can also be obliterated with techniques such as laser therapy or freezing therapy. These treatments may cause scarring, so finding a doctor with experience in performing the procedures is important. In cases where a varicose vein causes chronic pain or severely impairs circulation, surgery to remove the vein may be needed. This is called "vein stripping" and is usually done by a vascular surgeon.
Varicose Veins – and Pregnancy:
Question: My mother developed terrible varicose veins in her legs during her pregnancies. Now that I am pregnant, is this likely to happen to me, and is there anything I can do to prevent it?
Answer: All pregnant women risk developing varicose veins. Here's why: Varicose veins occur during pregnancy because the growing fetus and uterus press on the large blood vessel (the inferior vena cava) that the veins of the legs use to return blood to the heart. So less blood leaves the legs. More blood in the leg veins creates more pressure in them, and they gradually widen. The same pressure eventually causes the little valves in the veins--which keep blood from dropping back down into the veins when it shouldn't--to fail.
Occupation, your hormones, and your family genetic history can also make varicose veins more or less likely. Here's what you can do to help prevent them if you haven't got them and to reduce how severe they are if you have:
- Avoid standing for long periods of time. Walking is better than just standing because your calf muscles pump the legs and empty the veins.
- Avoid prolonged sitting. Get up and walk during breaks. If you need to sit for longer periods, elevate your legs on a high stool or a box.
- Keep weight gain during pregnancy moderate.
- Wear support hose daily, starting early in pregnancy, before there are any signs of a problem. Knee-high or full-length hose (in maternity sizes) will be helpful. Look for the highest level of support in commercially available hose, or go to a medical-supply store.
- A pregnancy girdle may reduce the pressure on the vena cava in later pregnancy.
