In the warm season, when you really want to wear shorts and short skirts, drawing attention to your legs, the vascular network, stars and swelling can spoil the image - clear signs of varicose veins. We learned from a professional phlebologist how to solve this problem quickly and permanently.
"Every man is more interested in a woman who is interested in him than in a woman who has beautiful legs, " said Marlene Dietrich. But still, you should not forget about the health and beauty of your legs. Especially if you already have vascular networks.
Expert opinion: vascular surgeon and phlebologist: "The most obvious signs of varicose veins of the lower extremities (or, more simply, varicose veins) are not that many. Visible spider veins (telangiectasias), prominent veins and nodules are the most obvious. It is impossible not to notice such symptoms. But they appear when the disease is already running. But heaviness in the legs, restless leg syndrome and swelling are not so obvious symptoms of varicose veins. If you already have them, this is a good reason to sign up for a consultation with a phlebologist. In general, this disease is well known to adult women, although, unfortunately, girls and even men know it firsthand.
Why do varicose veins appear?
The older we get, the greater the risk of varicose veins: we sit a lot and walk little, we gain weight, the blood thickens, hormonal changes occur, the level of collagen in the blood vessel walls decreases, which means that the elasticity and density of the veins. As a result, blood stagnation begins in the legs, the veins expand under pressure, and the valves no longer close as tightly as they should. Due to this, some of the blood flows down, stagnates even more and puts even more pressure on the veins, stretching them. The flow of blood slows down, and the lymph gradually penetrates the walls of the vessels. Edema occurs, and we feel heaviness in the legs. If treatment is not started at this stage, the disease will progress.
The disturbed function of the venous valves is not restored. First, a blue vascular network appears on the legs. Then nodules form in the veins - the blood stagnates and thickens in them, from which blood clots form. This is called thrombophlebitis. It is very dangerous: a blood clot that breaks off and comes out of such a nodule is a high risk of stroke or heart attack.
Very often, varicose veins are inherited. It also happens to those who are subjected to static loads, for example, when they are constantly "standing" (clerks in stores) or constantly sitting (all office employees). In addition, varicose veins can appear due to injuries, chronic vitamin and mineral deficiencies, hormonal changes (pregnancy, menopause), obesity or overweight, diabetes, lifting heavy objects, frequently walking in high heels.
How to get rid of varicose veins
In fact, to prevent varicose veins from appearing, sometimes just walking is enough. By WHO standards, that's about 10, 000 steps a day, which isn't that much. If you are at risk (meaning you run this problem in your family), then you need to see a phlebologist, wear compression stockings, try not to gain too much weight, limit static loads on your legs, wear comfortable shoes, take a course of venotonics ( only on the recommendation of a doctor), which will strengthen the walls of blood vessels and relieve inflammation.
The vascular network can be removed with the help of sclerosing injections. They are injected into small vessels, causing their artificial inflammation and causing them to "stick together". The procedure is practically painless and lasts no more than 10 minutes.
Large vein expansion is treated with endovasal laser coagulation (EVLT for short). This is a relatively new method that has been around for about 20 years. Thanks to him, vascular surgeons were able to almost completely abandon operations in favor of minimally invasive interventions. A very thin laser is inserted into the vein under anesthesia and ultrasound control, as thick as a fishing line. The laser beam acts on the inner wall of the vein and coagulates it along its entire length, after which it simply closes over time. The entire procedure is fully automated: the laser and the ultrasound sensor move on their own. The procedure takes about 40 minutes. After that, a special compression stocking is put on the leg, which must be worn without removing it for three days. After the procedure, the patient has no limitations in movement and can go home on her own. The effect can be observed in a few days.