Varicose veins are actually quite common and most people don’t even know they have them.  There are those, on the other hand, who have difficulties with varicose veins and are looking for help to treat them.

First off, your arteries carry blood from your heart and provide oxygen to your other organs and muscles.  In turn, veins carry blood back to the heart.  Your legs are made up of three different kinds of veins.  Your really deep veins can’t be seen but they can become blocked if you suffer from DVT or deep vein thrombosis.  The veins that are just below the surface of your skin are the ones that cause varicose veins and the deeper veins and surface veins are connected by a third set of veins.

Note: If you are experiencing varicose veins or any other type of vascular disease we recommend visiting The Secret Vein Clinic in San Diego.

You have one-way valves in your veins that prevent blood from stopping or flowing backward.  Activating your muscles such as walking forces your blood to move upward in a natural way.  The blood in your arteries is under a great deal of pressure but not on the same scale as the blood in your veins.  Blood is continually moving against gravity going from your legs to your heart and if a wall becomes damaged it makes it much harder for the blood to flow.

This damage will also affect the valve’s ability to operate properly and then the blood will start to flow backward.  This puts a great deal of pressure on other valves that are further down.  As this occurrence continues, more valves will start to leak causing the veins to become enlarged and then you can see these veins on the surface of your skin.  They pretty much resemble spider webs which where the term spider veins comes from.  When you lift or elevate your legs above your heart level, the blood will start flowing freely again.

In many cases, varicose veins are hereditary, running in families.  They are also more common in women than men.  Another cause is overweight which actually makes women more susceptible to varicose veins than men as well.   The older women become and the more children they have had, the more likely they will develop varicose veins.  People who have previously suffered from DVT can develop varicose veins over time.

There was a time that the medical world believed that standing for a long period of time vs walking would cause varicose veins but the jury is still out on that.  However, if you do have varicose veins, there is no doubt that standing for long periods of time will aggravate the situation and your legs will start to feel very heavy and become swollen.

The majority of the population do not suffer from complications brought on my varicose veins.  If someone does, it’s usually years later, your lower leg can become swollen and there will be a significant change in your skin’s color or you might develop skin that is very dry and thick.  Your veins can become quite red and inflamed and in rare cases, develop ulcers.  Veins that appear like tiny red threads or look like star-bursts are minor and will not cause complications.

In this day and age, if you are suffering from complications from varicose veins, there are many treatments you might want to look into.  One of the most common treatments is known as “sclerotherapy” which entails a chemical injection into the vein that will attach one wall to another.  After this procedure, you will have to wear compression stockings or bandages that come to the knee.  This will only last for a few weeks or until the veins pressure has lowered.

Other procedures include laser or a foam to close the vein.  If you are experiencing pain in your leg or legs and you have noticed inflammation in your veins you should sit down with your doctor.  He or she will evaluate the situation and if you are suffering from complications from varicose veins will offer you different options you might want to look into.

For more information about varicose vein treatment and sclerotherapy visit us online:

http://thesecretveinclinic.com/vein-treatments/sclerotherapy-san-diego/