One of the most common cardiovascular problems in society is varicose veins. In order to understand what varicose veins are, it is necessary to know the function of the veins that play a role in their formation. Veins are the largest diameter vessels in the body that take dirty blood from organs and surrounding tissues and carry it to the heart. As its name suggests, it acts as a kind of collector for blood. Since they have a large diameter, they have unidirectional valves inside them. These valves exist to prevent the blood from returning to the path it took in the veins, and to function in the transport towards the heart against gravity. Changes in the function of these veins can cause problems such as varicose veins. Vascular dilations may occur in various parts of the body for certain reasons. This dysfunction in the vascular walls is the main physiological reason for the formation of varicose veins. Although the cause of this problem, which is caused by varicose veins, is not exactly known, different conditions can be observed during the development phase of the disease.
How Are Varicose Veins Occurred, How Are They Treated?
What Are Varicose Veins?
Vein growths, which generally occur in the superficial veins of the legs, first manifest themselves as capillary ruptures. This condition occurs more clearly in the veins close to the skin surface. Vein ruptures in the capillaries, which are seen as the beginning of varicose veins, are called telangiectasia. Although this condition does not cause any problems for patients other than an aesthetic problem, varicose veins are different and are a type of advanced vascular enlargement.
Varicose veins mostly occur in the legs. However, apart from the legs, it can also be seen on the walls of internal organs, testicles, in short, in various areas where there are veins. Since the veins in the legs carry blood from bottom to top, there are some kind of valves to prevent the blood from returning downwards under the influence of gravity. Vascular walls may experience some dysfunctions for various reasons. This situation prevents the valves that open and close from functioning fully. Dirty blood collected from organs and surrounding tissues to return to the heart begins to leak through the valves. In this case, the circulation of blood that must return to the heart is disrupted. Dirty blood in the lower parts of the body, Therefore, it starts to accumulate mostly in the legs. Just as waste materials damage the environment and odor and liquid spread after a while from discarded garbage bags, dirty blood leaks from damaged veins after a while in the formation of varicose veins. In cases that progress by damaging the surrounding tissues, it may not only create an aesthetic problem but also be a source of pain and inflammation for the patient.
Although patients with varicose veins are not in a single group, there are similar reasons in cases where the disease is seen. Especially
- menopause
- pregnancy
- obesity
- work that requires a lot of standing
- aging
- posture disorders
- hormone use
- varicose veins are frequently observed in patients with a family history of varicose veins. Varicose vein cases in women are approximately 4 times the number of cases in men.
The reason why varicose veins are generally seen in the legs is that areas with high pressure in the body are the cause of varicose veins. For this reason, varicose veins are very common, especially in the lower legs. The course of the disease may vary from person to person and different stages may be observed. Apart from being an aesthetic defect called capillary varicose veins, varicose veins can cause problems for patients and can be seen in individuals of all ages. Progressive cases of varicose veins may occur due to the above reasons, especially aging.
If you feel changes in your body, especially if you notice a different appearance in your legs, there must be some findings to suspect varicose veins. When the general findings in varicose vein disease are listed, a picture like the following can be seen.
- Pain in the legs
- Numbness sensation
- Night cramps
- Numbness
- Paresthesia
- Restless legs
- Pain and itching
- Purple-blue colors appearing in the veins
One or more of the above findings are among the conditions observed in varicose vein formation. If you suspect that you have varicose veins based on your symptoms, it is important to consult a specialist physician as soon as possible.
Varicose Vein Treatment
For legs with varicose veins, the condition of the veins is checked with Doppler ultrasound. Depending on the patient's condition, the treatment method deemed necessary by the physician can be applied. lyre.
- Having an active lifestyle instead of a sedentary lifestyle
- Resting the legs and elevating them for 10-15 minutes during the day
- Limiting the use of high heels
- Avoiding heels higher than 6 cm
- Repeating simple exercises throughout the day
- Not crossing your legs
- Maintaining the ideal weight, not gaining or losing weight frequently
- Consuming foods that balance blood pressure
- Practical methods such as not prolonging the duration of showering with hot water are effective in preventive treatment.
Patients complaining about varicose veins have in mind A few questions may be included: "What are the consequences of untreated varicose veins?" Untreated varicose veins can cause serious problems in the future. Varicose veins are a type of circulatory disease. Therefore, it can cause serious health problems and aesthetic defects. However, since the painful condition caused by advanced cases will push aesthetic problems into the background, immediate intervention is recommended in these cases. If the treatment of varicose veins is delayed, oxygenated blood will not reach the damaged area. In other words, although the cells in the area need to be fed through blood vessels, they cannot receive clean blood, which is their food source. In this case, venous insufficiency seen with color changes, abnormal thinning of the legs, edema and serious wounds occurs. There is also a clotting problem in varicose veins. In this condition, called thrombophlebitis, intravascular clotting occurs and bleeding in the leg may occur even with minor blows. Even in later cases, the clot may travel to the lungs and pulmonary embolism may occur. At the end point of venous insufficiency, very painful and bleeding wounds called leg ulcers may occur. This condition is much more serious than ruptured veins, which are merely an aesthetic problem, and is painful for the patient.
Not every varicose vein is the same type. The rate of varicose vein formation may vary depending on people's lifestyle and general health condition. There are 3 types of varicose veins:
Capillary Varicose Veins (Telangiectasia)
This is the stage where patients request treatment because the capillaries that become visible on the skin surface create an aesthetic problem. It is formed by some kind of trauma or sudden impact and has a structure resembling a spider web, millimeter in size. It can occur in small sizes or in areas of centimeters.
Medium Size Varicose Veins (Reticular Varicose Veins)
These types of cases do not cause pain or suffering for the patient. However, aesthetically undesirable images may occur with the appearance of prominent purple-blue veins. There is no vein or valve insufficiency observed on ultrasound. They usually do not progress and turn into large varicose veins.
Large Varicose Veins
They are varicose veins that can cause problems both cosmetically and in terms of cardiovascular diseases. It is examined with a standing Doppler ultrasound. Vein and valve insufficiency may occur. Since treatments such as compression stockings, laser, and sclerotherapy will not be the solution for these varicose veins, RF treatment and surgical procedures are performed. Some are not visible from the skin surface. These are called internal varicose veins. It is noticed by the patient with symptoms such as pain, night cramps and itching.
In varicose vein treatments, non-surgical solutions can be applied according to the varicose vein types. Surgical methods are generally inevitable for large varicose veins.
In capillary varicose veins and reticular varicose veins, the veins that expand or open under the effect of laser beams are closed. In sclerotherapy, a medicine called sclerosant is injected into the varicose veins with millimeter-sized needles. After the procedure, it is recommended to support the area with tight bandages such as compression socks. In foam treatment, the injected medicine is foamed with a special method and given to the patient. In treatment with RF, the veins that expand or open at high temperatures are closed with the energy of radio waves.
Varicose Vein Treatment at Home
Subsequent cures and herbal methods are not effective to eliminate the varicose veins that have developed in the patient and especially the advanced ones. However, it is not scientific. However, there may be a few practical methods at home to prevent the formation of varicose veins. Regular exercise, ending a sedentary lifestyle, eating healthy, and consuming fiber-rich foods are some of the methods that can be done at home and will affect your life in the long term.
Varicose Vein Treatment with Lemon
The substances in lemon and its vitamin C density prevent free radicals in the blood from causing oxidative damage. With this structure, lemon is a powerful antioxidant. You can massage your legs from bottom to top every evening by squeezing lemon juice. B� In this way, you can prevent the formation of varicose veins and have young legs. Of course, varicose vein treatment with lemon is not completely possible and permanent. It can be said. Most cases of varicose veins are benign vascular tumors. Capillary varicose veins are only a cosmetic defect and are the formations that patients complain about. A youthful skin appearance can be achieved easily by single-session laser application, scleroptherapy and foam treatment.
Varicose Vein Foam Treatment
There are 2 different application methods in sclerotherapy. In one, a liquid medicine called sclerosant is administered directly into the vein using millimetric needles and without mixing with air. In the other method, that is, foam treatment, the same drug is given intravenously in a different form. The medicine contains the same active ingredient, polidocanol. Legs should be clean and shaved before drug injection. The procedure, which is performed without any pain or discomfort, takes several sessions. Each session is held for a period of 40-60 minutes. It is recommended to support the varicose area with compression socks after treatment. Additionally, sun protection is very important after the procedure for a period of 4 weeks.
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