Could you be suffering from vein disease without knowing it. Symptoms may seem harmless at first but can develop into serious problems if left untreated. Fortunately, early detection can prevent life threatening consequences. What Causes Vein Disease? Vein disease occurs …
Fortunately, early detection can prevent life threatening consequences.
What Causes Vein Disease?
Vein disease occurs when veins have trouble carrying blood from your body back to your heart. The main cause is heredity. You are at higher than average risk if your mother or grandmother — or even someone on your father’s side — suffers from serious vein problems. And, due to pregnancy, women are more often affected than me.
How does it start?
The first sign of vein disease is often tired, heavy feeling legs.
This is a clear indication that the return flow of blood from the legs to the heart is impaired. If these early complaints are not taken seriously, it’s not long before the discomfort may be accompanied by swelling of ankles and lower legs – a sign that the blood has become congested in the leg veins.
You may find that the problem is more pronounced after a day of prolonged sitting or standing. That’s because the leg veins damage easily and may become enlarged by the pressure of the pooled area. As the vein walls become weaker, they may start to leak fluid into the surrounding tissues, and the swelling increases.
When you lie down for awhile the swelling may go down. But, chances are, it will return the next day.
Are there serious consequences?
Yes. In addition to leg pain and unsightly varicose veins, untreated vein disease could lead to thrombosis, or blood clots.
Thrombosis occurs when a blood clot forms due to chronic venous blood congestion. If the clot travels from the leg to the lungs, a life-threatening pulmonary embolism could occur. Untreated vein disease can also lead to discoloration of the skin on your lower legs and possible leg ulcers, which are very hard to heal.
Are there any treatment?
Yes. Early detection and consultation with your doctor are the first steps to better leg health.
Under your doctor’s care, you can explore treatment alternatives such as prescription compression stockings, which help support weakened veins and may enable you to lead a pain-free, active life. It is important, however, to maintain a doctor-prescribed program of wearing medical stockings, or your condition could worsen over time.
Warning signs
Prevention tips
IF your job requires you to be on your feet all day, here are some simple tips that can help you avoid serious leg problems.
Pregnancy and Circulation
Pregnancy causes an amazing, but stressful, transformation in the female body. Blood flow is dramatically affected during this period due to the added demands of the fetus. In fact, the volume of blood in woman’s body almost doubles. Hormones, which add elasticity to the body during this time, also weaken and stretch the veins.
Vein Problems
Veins may return to normal after a baby is born. Frequently, however, the vein walls are permanently stretched and damaged. For many women, the vein damage during pregnancy is apparent. Damage veins that are twisted and stretched are referred to as varicose veins. Smaller veins closer to the surface of the leg that show damage are called spider veins.
Vein damage caused during pregnancy can be more than just a cosmetic problem. Mild discomfort caused by continued pressure on weakened vein walls can be a signal that deeper, more serious problems are developing. An important fact to remember is that once damaged, veins cannot repair themselves. They can only be protected, or they will become more damaged over time.
Our factors that can contribute to vein problem are:
In most cases, your personal risk of “vein disease” is determined by a combination of these factors. For that reason, it’s nearly impossible to predict with certainty how each person will be affected.
Tips for better Leg Health During Pregnancy
Laser Therapy is a new adjunct that is available.
In some situations both spider veins and intermediate sized veins may be successfully treated in a comfortable and cost effective way using laser rather than chemical energy to achieve closure. Lasers with both long and short wave length capability are available.
This allows us to treat both superficial and deeper veins. Incidentally, these lasers are also useful for removal of vascular and pigmented spots.
EVLT is a quick, minimally invasive laser procedure that can be performed in our office. There is no post operative scarring, as it is only a probe and a slim sheath that enters the vein via a tiny skin nick.
The probe is guided into place using ultrasound and the procedure is performed under local anesthetic – similar to that used by dentist – to numb the treatment area. The treatment takes less than an hour.
Here’s what to expect:
Your doctor uses ultrasound to map out your vein.
Local anesthetic is applied.
A thin laser fiber is inserted through a tiny entry point (usually below the knee).
Laser energy is delivered to seal the faulty vein.
Your normal day activity is then resumed. In fact, walking immediately after the procedure is encouraged (avoid rigorous activities).
The key benefits of EVLT
Immediate relief from symptoms
Some problems, such as large varicose veins, may necessitate the use of ligation, a procedure in which the connections between the damaged veins and the vein systems are interrupted. Ligation is done under local anesthesia in the office.
Your initial consultation will give you and the physician an opportunity to discuss which treatment program may be best for you.
During this surgery, one or more incisions are made over the varicose veins, and the vein is tied off (ligated). If the ligation isolates a faulty valve and the vein and valves below the faulty valve are healthy, the vein may be left in place to continue circulating blood through other veins that still have valves that work properly.
If several valves in the vein and the vein itself are heavily damaged, the vein (or the diseased part of the vein) is usually lasered. An incision is made below the varicose vein, a flexible instrument is threaded up the vein to the first incision, and the vein is grasped and removed.
What To Expect After Surgery
Most often, you can return to work within a few days. After several weeks, you can resume normal leisure and recreational activities.
Why It Is Done
Vein ligation and stripping is generally done on large varicose veins.
This treatment is used when:
If you have both small and large varicose veins, you may have more than one type of treatment. Following vein ligation and stripping to treat large varicose veins, you may have sclerotherapy to treat smaller varicose veins. Who should not have ligation or stripping.
Vein ligation and stripping should not be done in:
How Well It Works With testing to determine the location of varicose vein problems, vein ligation and lasering provides good to excellent long-term results in 95% of all patients.
Risks
Varicose vein surgery has some risks, such as recurrence of varicose veins and scarring. In addition, if the deep vein system is damaged, surgery may make problems with blood flow in the veins worse.
Varicose vein surgery has the same risks associated with general surgery, including infection, bleeding, and anesthesia risks.
If the largest vein in the leg (great saphenous vein, or GSV) is stripped below the knee, numbness may result due to nerve injury.
This procedure is used for the removal of varicose veins through multiple stab incisions, small punctures performed on an ambulatory, outpatient basis in the office utilizing local anesthesia. The incisions do not require skin sutures and surgery is followed by compression and immediate ambulation.
This procedure eliminates the varicose branches of the saphenous veins or other isolated varicose segments. The procedure is performed in the office under a local anesthetic consisting of a dilute solution of lidocaine with or without epinephrine which is injected along the length of the affected segment and branches.
With special hooks, the varicosities are extracted through stab wounds made with minuscule punctures. When fully healed, no scars are visible. Bruising will occur, but resolve over a short period of time.
Post-operative pain is minimal and most patients report no pain. Routine activities are not restricted, and exercise is allowed after five to ten days. There are no pre-procedure requirements or restrictions, and patients can drive after the procedure.
If your veins are unsightly or uncomfortable, they can be treated by injection of a solution that will cause them to disappear or become much smaller. This procedure is called sclerotherapy. Both Spider Veins and Large Veins can be treated with Sclerotherapy.
Millions of men & women are bothered by spider veins – those small yet unsightly clusters of red, blue or purple veins that most commonly appear on the thighs, calves and ankles. In fact, it’s estimated that at least half of the adult female population is plagued with this common cosmetic problem.
Today, many surgeons are treating spider veins with sclerotherapy.
The best candidates for sclerotherapy
Men & women of any age may be good candidates for sclerotherapy, but most fall in the 30-to-60 category. In some women, spider veins may become noticeable very early on – in the teen years. For others, the veins may not become obvious until they reach their 40s.
What to expect from sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy can enhance your condition and your self confidence, but it’s unrealistic to believe that every affected vein will disappear completely as a result of treatment. After each sclerotherapy session, the veins will appear lighter. Two or more sessions are usually required to achieve optimal results.
You should also be aware that the procedure treats only those veins that are currently visable; it does nothing to permanently alter the venous system or prevent new veins from surfacing in the future.
Before you decide to have sclerotherapy, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them with the doctor.
The procedure
A typical sclerotherapy session is relatively quick, lasting only about 15 to 30 minutes. After changing into shorts, your legs may be photographed for your medical records. You will be asked to lie down on the examination table and the skin over your spider veins will be cleaned with an antiseptic solution.
Using one hand to stretch the skin taut, the doctor or nurse will begin injecting the sclerosing agent into the affected veins. Bright, indirect light and magnification help ensure that the process is completed with maximum precision.
Approximately one injection is administered for every inch of spider vein – anywhere from five to 40 injections per treatment session.
During the procedure, you may listen to music, read, or just talk to your practitioner. You will be asked to shift positions a few times during the process. As the procedure continues, you will feel small needle sticks and possibly a mild burning sensation. However, the needle used is so thin and the sclerosing solution is so mild that pain is usually minimal.
After the procedure
Tight-fitting support hose may be prescribed to guard against blood clots and to promote healing. You may be instructed to wear the support hose for 24 hours or more.
It’s not uncommon to experience some cramping in the legs for the first day or two after the injections. This temporary problem usually doesn’t require medication.
You should be aware that your treated veins will look worse before they begin to look better. When the compression is removed, you will notice bruising and reddish areas at the injection sites. The bruises will diminish within two weeks. In many cases, there may be some residual brownish pigmentation which may take up to a year to completely fade.
Getting back to normal
Although you probably won’t want to wear any leg-baring fashions for about two weeks, your activity will not be significantly limited in any other way from sclerotherapy treatment.
You will be encouraged to walk to prevent clots from forming in the deep veins of the legs. However, during the period of time to complete your treatment program, prolonged sitting and standing should be avoided, as should squatting, heavy weight lifting and “pounding” type exercises, including jogging.
A one-month healing interval must pass before you may have your second series of injections in the same site. After each treatment, you will notice further improvement of your legs’ appearance.
Spider veins are small dilated veins immediately under the skin, and usuallyappear on the legs. Although laser therapy has often been described as an appropriate method, sclerotherapy using a solution containing Aethoxysklerol in various concentrations, still remains the simplest and most effective method. A laser treatment can sometimes be done for very fine veins, as an additional procedures. We also offer this at Cosmedica Clinic.
Who can spider vein treatment help?
Both, men and women, with annoying dilated fine blood vessels on their legs. It is important to exclude the possibility of chronic varicose vein disorder, and if so, this should be treated before a spider vein procedure.
We recommend an ultra-sound-examination, a so called “duplex sonography” be conducted to detect potential diseases of the venous system that need attention, before having the micro-sclerotherapy been done for purely cosmetic reasons. Should e.g. actual varicose veins exist, we can also offer surgical procedures for these at the Cosmedica Clinic, as well as sclerotherapy and laser therapy.
How is the elimination procedure performed?
Fine needled syringes containing aethoxysclerol in varying concentrations, are used to inject the vessel. This causes the inner layer of the vessel to stick together and swell, and that is how a superficial, very fine thrombosis is developed. Following this, the treated areas are compressed, as compression is an important prerequisite for achieving good long-term results.
Treatment of spider veins using micro-sclerotherapy and lasers
Post-elimination care:
Length of procedure: Approx. ½ an hour
Post-procedure care: Removal of bandages at the latest 3 days later
The wearing of compression stockings for approx. 2 weeks
Sun protection and the avoi¬ding of heat
Immediately after the treat¬ment avoid sitting or standing
Anaesthesia: None
Attendance time in clinic: None
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