How Do You Get Varicose Veins?
Varicose veins and spider veins affect about 40 million Americans a year. These conditions can vary from person to person as simply a cosmetic concern or a condition that causes constant pain and discomfort. However spider veins or varicose veins affect you, read on the learn more about how they develop, prevention, and treatment options.
What Are Varicose Veins?
Varicose Veins are veins that become twisted and enlarged. This can happen to any veins in the body but is most common in the legs because standing and walking increases pressure in these veins. The physical appearance of varicose veins is dark purple or blue bulging, twisted veins, appearing like cords in your legs. Painful symptoms of varicose veins include increased pain after sitting or standing for long periods of time, burning, cramping, and swelling in the legs, achy and heavy feeling in the legs, and itching around the veins.
The risk for varicose veins increases with age as the valves in your veins wear down, de-regulating blood flow. Women are also more likely to develop varicose veins due to hormonal changes throughout their lives (pregnancy, pre-menstruation, birth control, and menopause). Additionally, those who are overweight will have an increased risk of varicose veins as obesity puts added pressure on veins.
Varicose Vein Prevention
Varicose veins can’t be completely prevented, but making lifestyle changes that improve your circulation can help reduce your risk of varicose veins. These lifestyle changes include: watching your weight, having consistent exercise habits, increasing your fiber intake, reducing your sodium intake, elevating the legs, and not sitting or standing for too long a period of time.
Varicose Vein Treatment
The same prevention practices can be used to treat and reduce the discomfort of varicose veins as well. In addition, trying compression stockings is a great place to start. These steadily compress your legs, allowing blood flow to improve. For more severe cases of varicose veins, your doctor can provide other treatment options. These include Sclerotherapy, in which your doctor injects a solution that closes the veins, laser treatment used to close off varicose veins, and more. Treatment will vary on a case-by-case basis, and we recommend scheduling a consultation with your doctor to determine what is best for you.
Schedule An Appointment With Your Beverly Hills Aluna Vein Center!
If you have spider or varicose veins and are looking to find a treatment for cosmetic or physical reasons, Dr. Massoudi and his team in Beverly Hills, Glendale, and Encino want to hear from you. Our wide variety of varicose vein treatments can help relieve discomfort and make you feel and look better. Contact our team at Aluna Centers at (310) 855-7171 today to set up your consultation. We hope to hear from you soon!