What are varicose veins, spider veins and retinal veins?
Varicose veins are swollen veins in the form of cords that are close to the surface of the skin. The reticular veins are the small, fine blue veins located under the skin. Spider veins are smaller, red or blue veins, located in the skin layer.
What causes varicose veins?
The normal function of the leg veins is to bring blood back to the heart. When walking, the calf muscle acts as a pump, compresses the veins in the legs and pushes blood back to the heart. To prevent blood from flowing in the wrong direction, the veins have one-way valves that prevent blood from flowing back onto the leg. When the valves are broken (a condition called valve incompetence), blood returns to the superficial veins and flows down the leg. This process is called deletion. Reflux causes enlargement and change of veins. Once the veins become spasmodic, they lose their ability to return to their proper shape and become plastic rather than elastic. Unfortunately, varicose veins cannot be cured, and this condition is either stabilized with a compression tube or treated with one of the vein treatment plans. The main saphenous vein is one of the most commonly damaged veins which leads to varicose veins in the leg.
Who is at risk for varicose veins?
There are many risk factors for varicose veins. These risks include family history of varicose veins, obesity, pregnancy, hormonal changes during menopause, work that requires a longer standing or sitting position, and previous venous conditions such as phlebitis (inflammation of a superficial vein) ). ) or deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in the blood). Veins). Women also suffer from varicose veins more often than men. In addition, varicose veins can occur in the area after trauma.
What are the symptoms of varicose veins?
Varicose veins can cause leg pain. The ankles, calves and feet can swell towards the end of the day, especially in hot weather. Varicose veins can become painful and inflamed, causing redness of the skin around them. Skin changes due to long-standing venous problems include thickening of the skin, brown discoloration, red rashes, and skin infections. Some patients with serious venous problems may develop ankle sores called venous ulcers. These are often difficult to cure and can be resolved by treating the underlying venous problem to avoid the reflux that led to the ulceration.
How to treat varicose veins?
Depending on the symptoms and the type of veins present, there are several ways to treat varicose veins:
- compression stockings: conservative management of varicose veins consists in wearing a compression tube, exercising, controlling your weight and lifting your legs above your waist as much as possible to drain the venous blood from your legs. The compression tube helps the vein to pump blood to the leg and the back to the heart. However, this technique does not make varicose veins disappear. However, the use of a compression tube is very important not only to prevent the worsening of varicose veins but also to avoid recurring problems after treatment.
- Sclerotherapy: This technique is used to treat smaller varicose veins, reticular veins and spider veins. A small amount of a drug (sclerosing agent) is injected directly into the diseased vein. The drug irritates and closes the inner wall of the vein. New types of sclerosing agents are not painful when a very small needle is injected, and usually more than one injection site is required. In addition, 2 to 6 treatments are generally necessary to obtain a clearance of 70 to 80% of the spider veins. The procedure is performed quickly and easily without anesthesia. Sometimes we use ultrasound guidance for sclerotherapy. The number of treatments required varies from one individual to another, depending on the extent of varicose veins and visible spider veins. A series of 2 to 6 treatments should eliminate 70 to 80% of spider veins. We also use a Lyra 1064 nm YAG laser to treat stubborn spider veins.