Varicose Veins
Overview
What are varicose veins?
Varicose veins, also known as varicosities, are dilated blood vessels that protrude out of your skin’s surface, looking enlarged, tortuous, twisted, or tangled. You can compare their appearance to dense tree branches or masses of tangled ropes. Varicose veins can develop anywhere on your body, but they’re particularly common on the legs, thighs, buttocks, and other lower extremities. According to research, varicose veins affect 1 in 3 people living in the United States. Are you one of them?
What’s the root cause of varicose veins?
Chronic venous insufficiency is the root cause of varicose veins. However, to understand how varicose veins are formed, you must understand how veins work. Veins are the blood vessels responsible for carrying deoxygenated blood from various parts of your body to your heart. The veins in your legs have one-way doors, known as vein valves, that resist the force of gravity and ensure blood flows towards your heart (moving up rather than down). When your vein valves collapse (due to numerous factors), blood flows backward due to gravity and accumulates in your leg veins. Over time, the pressure within your superficial leg veins increases, eventually leading to the formation of bulging varicose veins. You can also develop varicose veins because of vascular inflammation (рhlеbіtіѕ) or congenital abnormalities, but chronic venous insufficiency is the most common root cause.
Who is most likely to get varicose veins?
- Women: Studies show that varicose veins are far more common amongst women than men. That’s because the risk of vein disease increases with higher estrogen levels. For that reason, you are more likely to get varicose veins if you’re a woman, especially if you have undergone multiple pregnancies (or are currently pregnant), are post-menopausal, or are undergoing hormone therapies.
- Age: The risk of vein disease and varicose veins increases with age. As such, if you’re a man over 50, you have a high risk of varicose veins.
- Family History: Genetic predisposition is the leading risk factor for varicose veins and vein disease. If your mother and father have a history of vein problems, you have an extremely high risk of varicose veins.
- Job: People with jobs that require long periods of sitting or standing in one place are far more likely to get varicose veins. As such, you have a high risk of varicose veins if you have a desk job, or are a teacher, nurse, or driver.
Do varicose veins produce any symptoms?
Varicose veins are bulging leg veins that cause severe self-consciousness and social anxiety, but they’re largely asymptomatic. However, even though varicose veins don’t cause major symptoms, you might experience numerous symptoms and complications because of the underlying chronic venous insufficiency. If you have minor venous insufficiency, you may experience leg swelling, aching legs, leg heaviness, throbbing leg veins, spider veins, fatty deposits under your skin (lіроdеrmаtоѕсlеrоѕіѕ), leg cramps, and restless leg syndrome. These symptoms usually worsen as the day progresses. If you don’t seek vein treatment, you may experience major complications, such as bluish or brown skin discoloration, dry and red skin (stasis dermatitis), non-healing leg wounds (leg ulcers), and deep vein thrombosis.
How do you diagnose and treat varicose veins in Long Island?
Our varicose vein treatment center in Long Island leverages cutting-edge technologies to diagnose and treat the root cause of varicose veins. Our vein doctors curate each treatment according to your specific needs. They review your medical history, discuss your symptoms, examine the affected areas, and run duplex ultrasound scans to visualize the blood flow in your leg veins.
If you have underlying vein disease, our vein doctors will discuss your minimally invasive varicose vein treatment options. While there are numerous treatment options, our vein doctors will recommend the ideal treatments based on the location and size of your varicose veins, the diagnostic results, whether you have any symptoms, and the presence of skin changes on your legs, such as leg ulcers, swelling, and eczema.
What are my varicose vein treatment options in Long Island?
- Ablation: Endovenous laser and radiofrequency ablation involve using laser or thermal energy to close the diseased vein responsible for your varicose veins. We believe radiofrequency ablation is the best varicose vein treatment in LI because it’s painless, comfortable, and involves minimal post-treatment bruising.
- Sclerotherapy: Sclerotherapy involves injecting a foam or liquid solution into the varicose veins to fuse their walls, thereby destroying the unhealthy vessels. We believe this is yet another one of the best treatments for small varicose veins.
- Surgery: Also known as ambulatory phlebectomy, during this procedure, our vein doctors remove the unwanted varicose veins through small incisions on your skin’s surface.
- Exercise: You can reduce the discomfort and symptoms of vein disease by running, swimming, and cycling. However, lifestyle changes and exercise can only offer you temporary relief.
- Compression Stockings: You receive temporary relief from varicose veins if you wear skin-tight compression stockings.
Is Varicose Vein Treatment safe for me?
We believe minimally invasive varicose vein treatments are completely safe and effective. Radiofrequency ablation and sclerotherapy have nearly perfect success rates, and they cause little-to-no post-treatment side effects or complications. Furthermore, our vein doctors in Long Island calibrate the treatments according to your unique venous anatomy to ensure optimal results.