Most of us wrongly believe varicose veins to just be a cosmetic issue. Varicose veins, however, refer to a medical condition where malfunctioning valves of certain veins restrict the blood flow back to the heart and result in the undesired pooling of blood.
Characterized by swelling in the damaged area, pain, itching, and a feeling of heaviness, varicose veins do not only affect the elderly but are becoming increasingly popular in young adults as well.
Visible as swollen and enlarged bluish-purple veins, varicose veins can most often be seen as bulging out from the surface of the skin. Varicose veins are known to lead to other medical complications in cases where the treatment is delayed. Let us learn more about the dangers of varicose veins:
- Blood Clots – These are fairly common for all varicose veins patients. Although blood clots in the superficial veins do not pose a serious threat to life, blood clots in the deep veins (Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT) can travel to other parts of the body such as the heart, brain, and even to the lungs and cause pulmonary embolism which is a fatal medical condition.
Blood clots can also lead to the health disorder called thrombophlebitis where the blood clots block one or more veins, usually in the legs. The affected area feels warm. The veins are painful and turn red in colour.
- Leg Ulcers – Varicose veins cause excessive swelling and hyperpigmentation where the skin around the affected area turns darker than the surrounding area. At this time, you will begin to notice open sores on the skin surface of the legs and these are commonly known as ulcers.
The ulcers usually develop on the inner leg slightly above the ankle and are termed as the last stage of the venous disorder. Lack in treatment can cause chronic ulceration when while you try to heal one ulcer, another ulcer forms up at a different location on your legs.
- Bleeding – As varicose veins are usually the superficial veins, they are situated right under the surface of the skin. Even a small cut on the skin or a minor injury can cause excessive bleeding. Also, because the varicose veins result in the pooling of blood in the affected area, it can become very difficult to stop bleeding and there are high chances of it resulting in heavy blood loss!
- Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) – When blood remains pooled in the varicose veins and the surrounding tissues, the blood pressure in the affected area rises and stays elevated for longer periods. This leads to the medical conditioned known as CVI.
Chronic venous insufficiency is common for people who have blood clots in the deep veins and suffer from DVT. The skin around the affected area becomes to look leathery. It looks flaky and there is a lot of itching. CVI can further lead to venous eczema and venous stasis ulcers.
Home Remedies
Varicose veins have been classified as a lifestyle disorder. There are certain precautionary steps that you can take to improve your lifestyle and thus decrease the chances of occurrence of varicose veins and also reduce the intensity of the symptoms.
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Eat a nutritious diet that is low in fats and sugars
- Make an exercise routine
- Remain active throughout the day
- Avoid sitting or standing for too long at a stretch
- Use pillows to elevate your legs above the level of your heart while lying down on a bed
- Wear compression stockings to improve the blood flow in your legs and prevent pooling of blood
- Keep exercising your legs and ankles during long flights or car journeys
Treatment
Opposed to ancient times, today the varicose veins can be easily and efficiently treated by the painless and minimally invasive laser treatment process. In the endovenous laser ablation technique, the doctor makes a small incision in your skin and inserts a laser fiber along with a catheter to the damaged area.
The affected veins are then closed off and the body automatically re-routes the blood to the other neighbouring healthy veins. This procedure is performed with local anaesthesia and monitored with the help of a duplex ultrasound scan. It is a 100% safe procedure and does not lead to any major side-effects.
The endovenous laser treatment is a comparatively cost-effective and fairly quick procedure as compared to the surgical procedures and radio-frequency ablation techniques. Performed commonly as an outpatient procedure at the doctor’s clinic, it allows the patient to go back home on the same day and resume everyday work routine from the next day itself. The laser treatment for varicose veins is popular for being the no-cut, no-stitch, and no-scar treatment.
Conclusion
At Avis Vascular Centre, our all treatment procedures are USFDA approved. We strictly adhere to the protocols of the American College of Phlebology and ensure that all patients have a convenient and satisfactory medical experience.
We offer 100% price assurance at the time of admission along with free duplex scan facility to all deserving patients with 100% assistance for Mediclaim approvals from all leading national insurance providers.
We treat over 40000+ patients every year and have a cent percent success rate. We ensure that the chances of recurrence of varicose veins are reduced to a negligible minimum. We have an array of satisfied patients who speak highly of our professionalism and medical care.
Our doctor panel is headed by the extremely qualified and supremely talented Dr. Rajah V Koppala who has 24+ years of experience as an interventional radiologist. Having successfully cured patients with the worst cases of varicose veins, he is the best medical care practitioner for varicose veins not just in Hyderabad but in Telangana as well as all of India.
We are eager to make India, a nation free of venous disorders. If you want to know more about our treatment services or are eager to get your medical check-up for varicose veins done from Dr. Rajah V Koppala, schedule a consultation at Avis Vascular Centre today!
