What are varicose veins?
Varicose veins appear most often on your legs. They usually look like twisted blue, red, or purple ropes or coils, but can be flesh-colored sometimes. Varicose veins swell and bulge as they get worse, and can start to itch and feel tender.
You might also experience a heaviness or aching in your legs and find your legs feel tired after standing or walking. You might get cramping in your legs or throbbing sensations, and severe varicose veins can become quite painful.
You’re more likely to get varicose veins if you’re female, but men can get them as well. You’re also more at risk of getting varicose veins if other members of your family have them.
What causes varicose veins?
Varicose veins develop because of a malfunction of the valves in your leg veins. These valves normally open and close with the muscular contractions that push blood back to your heart.
If these valves suffer any damage or weakening, they no longer close properly. As a result, blood can flow backward down your leg. The blood flowing in the wrong direction begins to form pools that make your veins more prominent, the first sign of varicose veins.
As more blood builds up, the veins start to stretch and bulge, creating the unsightly problem of varicose veins.
Although they are thought of as mostly a cosmetic problem, varicose veins are a sign of chronic venous insufficiency, a condition that could cause more serious issues like leg ulcers if left untreated.
How are varicose veins treated?
When you first see the signs of varicose veins, it’s a warning that you should make changes to your lifestyle. Smoking, being overweight or obese, and not getting much exercise are all likely to make varicose veins worse.
Therefore, losing weight, quitting smoking, and exercising regularly can improve the health of your leg veins.
If you need treatment for varicose veins because they’re unsightly or painful, Dr. Sahni can carry out endovenous laser therapy (EVLT).
EVLT is a minimally invasive procedure in which Dr. Sahni directs laser energy into the varicose veins. The laser heats the veins, causing them to collapse and blocking them off.
Blood can’t flow through the treated veins, so it finds a way through a healthy vein. The treated vein gradually withers away and eventually disappears. EVLT is a safe and effective way of dealing with troublesome varicose veins that requires minimal downtime.
To find out more about EVLT for varicose veins, call Sahni Heart Center today, or you can choose to book online for the Clark, New Jersey, office.
