Varicose Veins FAQ

Welcome to the FAQ section of our website specifically related to varicose veins and varicose vein treatments. Below you will find the answers to common questions that people like you have about the treatment of varicose veins and the technology related to that treatment.

If you have any more questions about varicose veins and their treatment that you don’t see answered here please contact us with your question so we can answer it and update this FAQ. Our vein clinics are dispersed throughout various cities and states so feel free to book an appointment for one of our locations so we can assure you that Your Legs Are In Good Hands!

What are varicose veins?
Are varicose veins common?
What are the risk factors for developing varicose veins?
What is the cause of varicose veins?
Symptoms of varicose veins
Treatment of varicose veins
Are varicose veins bad for you?
Why should varicose veins be treated?
What can be done for varicose veins?

What are varicose veins?

Varicose veins or varicosities as they are sometimes known as are large, bulging veins that develop due to high pressure in venous circulation.  Almost always, varicose veins are a direct result of a disease known as “venous insufficiency”.

Despite the fact that the main complaint people have is strictly the presence of varicose veinsd, the appropriate treatment must be directed towards the source of the varicosities or identification and management of abnormalities in venous circulation.

Varicose veins are veins in which blood no longer moves efficiently up toward the heart. Blood in these veins actually flows away from the heart and back into the legs.

The formation of varicose veins starts with a weakness of the vein wall. More often than not this is a genetic condition. When the vein wall weakens, it gives way under pressure and begins to dilate. Eventually, the vein dilates to a point where the valves can no longer touch each other. The valves then fail to hold the blood above it. Blood backs-up, adding to the pressure and dilation of the vein. Valves then back up and veins begin to fail. Blood actually begins to flow backwards down the vein and away from the heart. The vein bulges under the skin. This is known as a varicose vein.

The increased pressure in the veins will also affect smaller vessels that feed in to these varicose veins and they will dilate. These smaller vessels are known as reticular veins, venulectasias, or telangiectasias (spider veins), depending on their size and location.

Are varicose veins common?

Varicose veins are a colossal problem. At any point in time, 30-40% of the population has vein problems.

What are the risk factors for developing varicose veins?

Pregnancy: Pregnancy causes weight gain and pressure on to the veins in the pelvic region. Varicose veins that occur from pregnancy will often disappear after birth. However, if they are still present 9 months later, they are probably permanent.

Heredity: Varicose veins are in your genes. If you have a parent with varicose veins, then your risk of getting them is about 40%. If both of your parents have varicose veins, that risk automatically increases to 90%.

Age: Varicose veins become more and more common when looking at older populations. In women, only 30% of 30 years olds have varicose veins while 60% of 60 year olds have varicose veins.

Sedentary lifestyle: If you live a lifestyle that does not involve much moving, your risk for varicose veins increases. Long periods of sitting or even standing can cause varicose veins. This is why the risk for teachers and hair dressers is much higher than for a mail carrier.

What is the cause of varicose veins?

Venous insufficiency is caused by problems in one or more leg veins. Healthy valves cause blood to flow back to the heart so it does not collect to one place. The valves in varicose veins are either damaged or missing. This causes the veins to remain filled with blood. This effect is exaggerated when one is standing.

Varicose veins can also be caused by a blockage from a clot (deep vein thrombosis).

Chronic venous insufficiency does not go away on its own. It occurs because of a partial vein blockage or blood leakage around the valves of a vein.

Risk factors for this condition include:

• History of deep vein thrombosis in the legs
• Age
• Being female (related to levels of the hormone progesterone)
• Being tall
• Genetic factors
• Obesity
• Pregnancy
• Prolonged sitting or standing
• Dull aching, heaviness, or cramping in legs
• Itching and tingling
• Pain that gets worse when standing
• Pain that gets better when legs are raised
• Swelling of the legs

Symptoms of varicose veins

People with chronic venous insufficiency may also have:

• Redness of the legs and ankles
• Skin color changes around the ankles (brown or bluish color)
• Varicose veins on the surface
• Thickening and hardening of the skin on the legs and ankles (lipodermatosclerosis)
• Ulcers on the legs and ankles
• Dull aching, heaviness, or cramping in legs
• Itching and tingling
• Pain that gets worse when standing
• Pain that gets better when legs are raised
• Swelling of the legs

Treatment of varicose veins

Take the following steps to help manage venous insufficiency:

• Use compression stockings to decrease chronic swelling.
• Avoid long periods of sitting or standing. Try to move your legs, if only slightly, to help prevent varicose veins.
• Make sure to care for any open wounds so that infections do not occur.

Surgery (varicose vein stripping) or non-invasive treatments for varicose veins may be recommended if you have:

• Leg pain, leaving your legs aching or feeling heavy
• Skin ulcers or open skin sores.
• Thickening and hardening of the skin on the legs and ankles (lipodermatosclerosis)

The veins of our legs are designed to bring blood back to the heart despite forces of gravity. That is possible because we have numerous tiny valves inside the veins allowing blood to move in only one direction: upwards.

When valves do not work properly, blood is moving upwards instead of going back down. Since blood in the veins is “used” blood, it does not contain either oxygen or other nutrients. This makes receiving nutrients impossible for the legs. Consequently, the tissue of the legs that is receiving this blood starves.

Are varicose veins bad for you?

The blood in varicose veins is not moving up towards the heart like it is supposed to. Instead, the blood moves back downwards in to the legs. The old blood is full of toxins that are repeatedly cycling through the legs instead of returning to the proper organs such as lungs, liver or kidneys to be removed.“Toxins”, in medical terms, are by-products of metabolism. They include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, lactic acid, peroxides, nitrogenous substances like ammonia, and a lot more. These toxins can then cause the problems that are described in the next question.

Why should varicose veins be treated?

There are five reasons people choose to treat varicose veins:

1. They are unsightly.
2. They can cause discomfort in the legs including itching, burning, aching, heaviness, fatigue, and restlessness (the result of backpressure and toxins).
3. They sometimes cause swollen ankles and feet.
4. Long-standing varicose veins can lead to thickened discoloured skin (from long term deposition of blood pigment) and leg ulcers (the result of toxins).
5. People with varicose veins are more prone to blood clots in the legs. There are two kinds of blood clots: i) Superficial phlebitis is an inflamed vein just under the skin. It is warm, red, and extremely tender. This type of clot is very common in people with varicose veins, but really amounts to nothing more than a nuisance, because clots of this nature resolve spontaneously and rarely travel to the lungs. ii) on the other hand, deep vein thrombosis is very dangerous. As the name implies, these clots occur in the deep vein system. Because they are located in the muscles, rather than just beneath the skin, they are not as easy to detect as superficial phlebitis. And unlike superficial phlebitis, deep vein clots can break loose and travel to the lungs (pulmonary embolism). This is fatal in about 20% of cases. People with significant varicose veins are about nine times more prone to deep vein thrombosis than those without varicose veins.

What can be done for varicose veins?

Support hose is very beneficial in relieving symptoms and slowing the progression of varicose veins. Hose also reduces the likelihood of complications of vein disease such as leg ulcers and blood clots.

Exercise and maintenance of healthy body weight are also beneficial.

Bioflavonoids found in yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits, increase venous tone and improve venous elasticity. Horse chestnut, taken internally or applied as a lotion, decreases capillary permeability and helps to reduce swelling.

There are three techniques used to eliminate varicose veins:

1. sclerotherapy,
2. surgery, and
3. laser treatments.

For several decades, varicose veins were treated either surgically or by sclerotherapy (injections). Both types of treatment have been fraught with complications, recurrences, and failures. However, since about 2001, technological advances have made the elimination of veins far more predictable and far less invasive.