What Causes Varicose Veins and What Treatments Are Available?

For the most part, varicose veins are practically harmless, although they look awful. They don’t necessarily cause other symptoms to develop even when they are fully visible. Their appearance however may lead people to believe that there is something serious developing within their body. For the most part, the sight of varicose veins is a purely cosmetic consideration. Their appearance can have psychological implications, lowering self-esteem through unsightly veins. This can drastically affect a person’s confidence.

Nevertheless, there are times when varicose veins can lead to discomfort, including aching and itching. People who experience discomfort with varicose veins also find that their symptoms are most obvious during the night, often following a day in which there has been a lots of standing. However, these symptoms can be reduced by lying down and allowing the legs to rest. Relief from discomfort can be achieved by wearing stockings for leg support.

In some cases, varicose veins can lead to complications that develop into serious conditions. For example, swelling of the legs. Commonly, this symptom develops on one leg, the varicose vein will become quite large before swelling occurs. It is strongly recommended that, if varicose veins have developed in your legs, you should seek advice from a doctor as swelling may not be related to the veins themselves, but may be an indication of other conditions.

Varicose veins can become inflamed, this is commonly known as phlebitis. Phlebitis is one of the more serious problems that can arise from varicose veins, where they become red and painful to the touch. Phlebitis is differentiated from the more serious deep-vein thrombosis (DVT).

DVT manifests itself when deep veins in the thighs, or the calves, become inflamed and cause blood clots to occur. If not treated treated, the clots can cause major problems if they travel up to other parts of the body like the lungs or heart. However, though it is possible for varicose veins to become inflamed and develop into deep vein inflammation, the links between the two are tentative. However, DVT can develop in people who have varicose veins for a number of different reasons.

Another severe problem in which varicose veins develop into more serious issues is in regards to changes in the skin. Varicose veins can develop into skin conditions like dermatitis and skin ulcers. This can occur when blood spills out from the veins into the surrounding tissues of the leg, causing visible discolouration of the skin; and the aforementioned conditions to develop.

People who develop varicose veins, will sometimes find they have both varicose and spider veins, on their body. Unlike varicose veins, which are mainly  found in the legs, spider veins can develop on the face and or chest. However, the development of one has no relevance on the other. Spider veins are largely a cosmetic consideration for most people, whereas varicose veins, should be a consideration as a health treatment.

Treating Varicose Veins

Most people who develop varicose veins will not require any treatment at all. It is important though, that anyone who does have varicose veins visits a professional to rule out any future complications. At Geelong Veins, Skin and Laser we can help diagnose whether your varicose veins will lead to further complications.

Most people who do develop varicose veins do not see a professional to discuss the veins. Acknowledging that they are mostly harmless, many people choose ignore them, and decide that they are a cosmetic nuisance, that they don’t really need to be concerned about. This is a common belief, particularly amongst men. This is reinforced by statistics which show that men only account for 12 per cent of total leg vein treatments.

Non-surgical treatments for Varicose Veins

Women who choose not to have surgery or laser therapy for varicose veins, can use support stockings, which can relieve some of the discomforts associated with varicose veins, such as pain, swelling and itching. Inflammation, (phlebitis), can be treated with anti-inflammatory medication like aspirin.

If the non-surgical treatments do not  help with the symptoms, surgery is often the next consideration for people. The success rates of surgery for varicose veins have increased in recent times, allowing for less down time for full recovery and the reduction of further complications.

Surgical removal of varicose veins can involve a few different procedures, including:

Ligation: A patient’s varicose vein is tied off, Under an anaesthetic, in a process called ligation. The vein is stripped and removed. This procedure can leave patients with some bruising in the affected area, but the majority of people recover relatively quickly.

Sclerotherapy: Sclerotherapy is the most common way of removing varicose veins –though it is more usually associated with the removal of spider veins. Sclerotherapy involves injecting a chemical into the vein directly, which then causes the vein to collapse, sealing the walls of the vein together, there by stopping blood flow. Sclerotherapy may require patients to wear bandages to compress the veins, ensuring that the veins remain collapsed as the sclerotic process takes place. Patients can experience some bruising after the procedure, and may possibly develop brown pigmentation on the surface of the skin. It may also produce inflammation or skin ulcers. These are usually temporary side effects of sclerotherapy. After surgery, the varicose veins fade, and even disappear entirely, over a period of time.

Another, less common, method of vein removal is electrodessication. This procedure seals thevaricose veins using an electrical current, utilising laser therapy to completely destroy the veins.

Although there are a number of effective procedures to remove varicose veins, there is a propensity for the veins to regrow over time. This may result the affected vein becoming enlarged, or it may produce entirely new varicose veins in other parts of the legs. For people who do suffer with varicose veins, it is a condition that can require ongoing, long-term treatment to effectively manage the symptoms and appearance of the veins.

If you feel that laser vein therapies or other surgeries as  outlined above can help you manage and remove your leg veins, please feel free to speak to one of our experienced specialists at the Geelong Veins, Skin and Laser for further consultation and advice.

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