Beauty Chevron. Skin Chevron. When I noticed a series of faint blue lines twisting around my thigh, some of the recommended home remedies I saw included ginger tea, massage, and even exercise.
So I talked to dermatologists and surgeons who specialize in treating spider veins and varicose veins the larger, raised visible veins that often appear on the legs. There are two common types of visible veins: spider veins and varicose veins. Varicose veins, on the other hand, are larger veins that are deeper in the body. Hollingsworth says. Because these two issues are caused by similar blood-flow situations, varicose and spider veins commonly occur together.
That means that people who have varicose veins almost always have spider veins too. However, some people get spider veins and never have a problem with varicose veins. Your heart pumps blood to your entire body through your blood vessels.
From there, blood circulates outward toward the extremities legs, arms, head through the arteries and back inward to the heart through your veins. When they work well, the blood shoots up and the valve closes.
When blood flows in the wrong direction because of a valve problem, it can get backed up in the veins of the legs, which damages the walls of the vein, the American Academy of Dermatology AAD explains.
That extra pressure on the vein walls gradually causes them to weaken and then bulge, creating veins we can actually see.
For instance, if you have a job where you are standing still for long periods of time, gravity is at work pulling the blood back down toward the legs, causing the veins to get stretched out and the valves to weaken over time. If you sit all day at your job, you can also start to see visible veins because there is a lack of muscle movement.
The muscles in the leg help the veins push the blood back up toward the heart, so moving around during the day can help prevent visible veins. There is some research to suggest that carrying extra weight can impact the function of your veins and, therefore, also increase your risk for visible veins.
Having more fat around your stomach visceral fat can increase the pressure in your abdomen, Dr. Hollingsworth says, which then creates an obstruction that blocks the flow of blood. A similar situation happens during pregnancy when the added pressure in the abdomen squeezes the veins.
But the hormonal shifts that happen during pregnancy may also play a role. Although visible veins may seem like a purely superficial issue, they can become painful when left untreated. A newer type of endovenous ablation uses radiofrequency energy instead of light. No incisions or needles are used in either procedure.
The treatment is often less effective than sclerotherapy, particularly for larger veins. Side effects may include redness, bruising, itching, swelling and permanent skin tone changes. After spider vein treatment, blood vessels fade over several months, but they may not disappear completely. Also, new spider veins can develop in the same area. Lawrence E. Gibson, M.
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Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below. Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization and proceeds from Web advertising help support our mission. This involves using energy either from high-frequency radio waves radiofrequency ablation or lasers endovenous laser treatment to seal the affected veins.
Radiofrequency ablation involves heating the wall of your varicose vein using radiofrequency energy. A narrow tube called a catheter is guided into the vein using an ultrasound scan. A probe is inserted into the catheter that sends out radiofrequency energy. This heats the vein until its walls collapse, closing it and sealing it shut.
Once the vein has been sealed shut, your blood will naturally be redirected to one of your healthy veins. Radiofrequency ablation may be carried out under local anaesthetic you are awake or general anaesthetic where you're asleep.
The procedure may cause some short-term side effects, such as pins and needles paraesthesia. You may need to wear compression stockings for up to a week after having radiofrequency ablation. As with radiofrequency ablation, endovenous laser treatment involves having a catheter inserted into your vein and using an ultrasound scan to guide it into the correct position.
The laser delivers short bursts of energy that heat up the vein and seal it closed. The laser is slowly pulled along the vein using the ultrasound scan to guide it, allowing the entire length of the vein to be closed. After the procedure you may feel some tightness in your legs, and the affected areas may be bruised and painful. Nerve injury is also possible, but it's usually only temporary. If endothermal ablation treatment is unsuitable for you, you'll usually be offered a treatment called sclerotherapy instead.
This treatment involves injecting special foam into your veins. The foam scars the veins, which seals them closed. This type of treatment may not be suitable if you've previously had deep vein thrombosis.
The injection is guided to the vein using an ultrasound scan. It's possible to treat more than one vein in the same session. Foam sclerotherapy is usually carried out under local anaesthetic, where a painkilling medication will be used to numb the area being treated. After sclerotherapy, your varicose veins should begin to fade after a few weeks as stronger veins take over the role of the damaged vein, which is no longer filled with blood.
You may require treatment more than once before the vein fades, and there's a chance the vein may reappear. Although sclerotherapy has proven to be effective, it's not yet known how effective foam sclerotherapy is in the long term. You should be able to walk and return to work immediately after having sclerotherapy.
You'll need to wear compression stockings or bandages for up to a week. In rare cases, sclerotherapy has been known to have serious potential complications, such as strokes or transient ischaemic attacks.
If endothermal ablation treatments and sclerotherapy are unsuitable for you, you'll usually be offered a surgical procedure called ligation and stripping to remove the affected veins. Varicose vein surgery is usually carried out under general anaesthetic , which means you will be asleep during the procedure. You can usually go home the same day, but an overnight stay in hospital is sometimes necessary, particularly if you're having surgery on both legs.
Read more about questions to ask a doctor. A technique called ligation and stripping involves tying off the vein in the affected leg and then removing it. The first is made near your groin at the top of the varicose vein and is approximately 5cm in diameter. The second, smaller cut is made further down your leg, usually around your knee. The top of the vein near your groin is tied up and sealed. A thin, flexible wire is passed through the bottom of the vein and then carefully pulled out and removed through the lower cut in your leg.
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