Bulging, dark blue or purple varicose veins can hinder your desire to show your legs in shorts or bathing suits. They can appear anywhere on your body but are most common on the legs because the veins in your legs rely on valves that open and shut to carry blood upward. A faulty valve pools the blood in the vein, which can expand the vein’s walls and cause it to bulge.
Up to 35% of people in the United States have varicose veins, with previous pregnancies and high body fat percentages topping the list of risk factors. Varicose veins also have inheritable risk factors, so you’re more likely to have them if you have close family members who have them too.
Many people initially seek treatment for their varicose veins because they don’t like their appearance. However, at Woodlands Vein Center in Shenandoah, Texas, Eliza Codd, ARNP, can fill you in on the benefits of varicose vein treatments beyond aesthetics.
The symptoms that come with varicose veins
Varicose veins may or may not have other symptoms. Because they are a symptom of venous insufficiency, many people also have additional symptoms.
When you treat varicose veins for any reason, you also minimize the symptoms that co-occur with them. These include:
- Edema (swelling) in your legs
- Dry skin and other skin changes
- Excessive bleeding when there’s mild trauma
- Leg pain, especially with prolonged sitting or standing
- Heaviness in your legs
- Ulcers
Phlebitis, a type of blood clotting, can also come with varicose veins. It happens when clots develop inside the swollen veins near the surface of your skin. While it’s not the same as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), phlebitis can stiffen your varicose veins and cause additional pain and discoloration.
Varicose veins can also raise your risk of DVT, leading to life-threatening complications like pulmonary embolism and stroke.
Treating your vascular concerns
Whether you’re primarily interested in varicose vein treatments so you can feel more confident about showing your legs or because you have concerns about vein-related complications, you can feel confident in the treatments our team provides at Woodlands Vein Center.
If you have few or mild varicose veins, lifestyle changes alone can improve your vascular health. Eliza might suggest managing your weight, including exercise in your routine, or wearing compression stockings to improve your blood flow.
Ablation procedures are also available to close varicose veins, which causes your blood to reroute through other nearby vessels. A varicose vein closed with sclerotherapy, which is an injectable treatment, or endovenous laser ablation, which uses heat, will never open back up. Vascular specialists also treat varicose veins with medical adhesive introduced into the vein via a catheter.
Call us today
Give Woodlands Vein Center a call anytime to discuss your treatment options. You can also schedule online for the next available appointment.