Stop Varicose Veins How to Get Rid of Varicose Veins

Varicose Veins: What you Need to Know

The word varicose veins comes from the Latin root meaning twisted. That describes the veins in the legs and feet. Our vein carries the blood from all parts of the body to the heart. The gravity fight against the blood that is carrying it to the heart. Our veins are elasticity walls which helps in returning blood to the heart, but over time our veins tend to lose elasticity and gradually stretch out.

When this happens the blood flows back toward the legs and forms pools in the veins, causing the veins to get swollen and rises above the surface of the skin. They may look like dark purple or blue in color, twisted and sometimes bulging cords through the legs.

The causes of Varicose Veins

The causes of varicose veins is still unknown, but there are a few factors that may lead to the development of varicose veins. Heredity can be a big factor in causing varicose veins, also hormonal changes at the time of puberty, pregnancy, menopause, can develop varicose veins in women. When a women becomes pregnant blood volume increases in the body which causes the veins to enlarge, also as the uterus enlarges it adds more pressure on the veins. But after pregnancy within 3 months the veins will naturally improve. Estrogen, progesterone, and birth control pills may lead to developing varicose veins in women. Aging obesity, long periods of standing, leg injury, ect. Are other reasons for weaken vein valves and cause varicose veins.

What are the symptoms of varicose veins

If you are experiencing a heavy feeling, burning, or a throbbing feeling in the legs you may have some common symptoms of varicose veins, other symptoms may also include experiencing muscle cramps, itching and swelling then you may be suffering from varicose veins

Some times you may even have skin ulcers around the ankles, it may also be a symptoms of varicose veins, that will cause swelling in the legs or ankle, sometimes painful at night.

Treatment options

There are many treatments that is available to you if you have varicose veins. One of the treatments are Sclerotherapy, and is used to treat varicose veins: the doctor will insert a solution that will scar and close down the veins with this treatment, but laser surgery is one of the most effective and more popular treatment for the condition of varicose veins.

Laser Surgery

Laser surgery is the transmitting of extremely strong burst of light into the vein causes the vein to slowly fade and the varicose vein disappears by damaging only the area in the leg that has varicose vein.

The surgery is very comfortable and painless, there are no needles involved or incisions. The laser strike the skin, the patient only feels a small prick or pinch. After the laser treatment the coolant is applied before and after, depending on how severe the vein is the surgery can last for 15 to 20 minutes.

Usually there are two to five treatment required to completely remove the varicose veins in the legs. There may be some redness or swelling and discoloration of the skin after surgery, but should look better within a few days.

Surgical ligation

Another treatment is surgical ligation is more specific than laser surgery, surgical ligation and stripping is usually done on large varicose veins, with surgical ligation the veins are tied shut and removed from the leg. There are different lasers that are used to cure varicose veins, and other pulsed light systems that are commonly used.

Who should not have ligation or stripping

• Older adults, high risk due to medical conditions
• People with swelling and/or fluid buildup
• People with blood-clotting defects
• Pregnant woman
• Abnormal passageway between the artery and vein

Whatever treatment you and your doctor use will be the best treatment for removing, or getting rid of your varicose veins. Varicose veins affect more women than men, and although laser surgery is effective and offer fewer side effects and complications, you should always take the advise of an expert before going under any surgery. Laser surgery can cost you $3000-$5000 for a treatment for each segment of treatment for each leg. Laser injections can cost $200-$350.

How well does it work

Well 90% out of 100% of people vein ligation and stripping removes varicose veins, and keeps them from coming back. But for the 10 people out of 100 varicose veins will come back.

Risks

Any surgery has some ricks, vein ligation and stripping surgery have risks such as scarring and varicose recurring, during surgery if the deep vein is damaged it can cause problems with blood flow making the veins worse, also it has the same risks associated with general surgery such as infection, and bleeding if the largest vein is stripped below the knee, causing numbness due to injuring the nerve.

What to Expect After Surgery

Vein ligation and stripping do not require a hospital stay and is done on an outpatient basis, with regional or general anesthesia. Same day surgery most patients can go home. Within a few days you’ll be able to return to work, and several weeks you can resume normal activities.