Although varicose veins are primarily an aesthetic problem, they’re a sign that something in your body isn’t working quite right. Excess pressure in your blood vessels causes the valves in your veins to collapse, which allows back-pooling blood that leads to swollen, twisted, visible veins.
Untreated varicose veins can cause problems in your legs, including changes in the skin, ulceration, and pain. If you remove the damaged veins, these problems resolve. However, if you don’t treat the underlying cause of your varicose veins, you may develop new ones.
At Laurelton Heart Specialists, Dr. Ola Akinboboye and our team devise individualized treatment plans for varicose veins. At our office in Rosedale, Queens, New York City, we also determine any underlying health problems or conditions that led to your varicose veins so they can be addressed, too.
What underlying health problems are associated with varicose veins? Following are the most common ones.
All varicose veins form due to increased pressure inside your veins. The pressure is so strong that it “breaks” the valves that are supposed to close as your blood flows through them toward your heart.
When a valve weakens or breaks, the blood starts to pool backwards instead of moving forward. This causes the vein portion behind the valve to swell and twist, causing a varicose vein.
Over time, these damaged veins can’t circulate your blood efficiently and you develop a condition called chronic venous insufficiency. Every year, about one out of every 50 people with varicose veins go on to develop chronic venous insufficiency.
Chronic venous insufficiency raises your blood pressure within the veins so high that they break the tiny capillaries in your legs. This can lead to discolored skin and even ulceration, which can be very difficult to treat. The ulcers may become infected and develop a dangerous complication called cellulitis.
Chronic high blood glucose eventually damages the walls of your arteries and veins. Damaged veins are more likely to develop the weakened valves that lead to varicose veins.
Approximately one of out five adults with lower leg ulcers due to varicose vein disease has type 2 diabetes. In addition to treating your varicose veins, you must address your diabetes to prevent new damage to your veins.
Excess weight puts pressure on your heart and on your veins, too. Being overweight or obese is a risk factor for varicose veins. In fact, being pregnant raises your risk for developing varicose veins, even though the extra pounds and pressure are temporary.
If you’re obese, we highly recommend attaining a healthy weight to keep your heart and veins healthy, too. In addition to lifestyle changes, such as an improved diet and a consistent exercise regimen, we may recommend anti-obesity drugs to help you shed excess pounds.
In addition to addressing underlying conditions that damage your veins, you can (and probably should) eliminate the damaged veins themselves. Varicose veins are more than aesthetic problems; they negatively affect the efficient circulation of your blood.
Depending on your individual case, we may recommend vein ablation to destroy varicose veins. Once your damaged vein is gone, your blood flow reroutes itself to healthy veins, which improves your circulation and should eliminate symptoms such as leg pain and swelling.
Do you need help with varicose veins and the underlying problems that cause them? Contact our helpful, knowledgeable team for a varicose vein evaluation at 718-208-4816. You can also use our online outreach form.
