What Are Varicose Veins
There are a lot of different medical terms out there that we do not know what they mean. One of those terms just so happens to be varicose veins. So what is varicose veins, and what do they mean? Well, that is what we are going to talk about. We are going to cover what they are, how they come about, if there are any risks that come with them, and last, how do you get rid of them!
The first thing to note is that varicose comes from the Latin root “varix”, which stands for twisted. It is possible for any vein in your body to become twisted, but these tend to affect the veins in your legs and feet most often. They say that these come about from standing or walking too much. This is because of all the pressure it puts on the lower part of your body. The good news is that for most people, Varicose veins are very common and are insignificant in terms of needing treatment. However, a lot of people choose to have varicose vein treatment, because they do not like the cosmetic look it gives them in their legs. There is a slight chance, however, that you can have some other circulation problems because of the Varicose veins, but this is only in very extreme cases. Also, it is important to note that this problem does effect women more than men. In fact, 25% of women will get these veins in their lifetime.
So how do you know if you have varicose veins? Well, they are usually very easy to spot. They look like very dark purple (sometimes blue) colored veins that appear twisted or bulging, like a cord through your legs. Most commonly, you will want to look for them on the calves or the inside of the legs, but they can appear as high up as the groin area. A lot of people think that varicose veins are just like spider veins. However, spider veins appear a lot closer to the surface and are easier to see.
If you want to know how these veins get like this, it is really pretty simple. Veins have to return blood from all parts of your body back to the heart. When the veins are in your legs, they have to fight gravity. Most of the time, muscles contract in your legs, and it kid of acts like a pump. Your veins have elastic walls which help them to return the blood. However, as you grow in age, the veins tend to lose their elasticity, and they stretch out. Thus, sometimes blood flows back towards your legs, and this forms blood pools in your veins. This is what you see when you are looking at varicose veins.
If you want to get rid of your varicose veins, then you do have a few varicose vein treatment options open to you. One way is to do Sclerotherapy. This is where doctors inject your varicose veins with a solution that pretty much scars and closes up those veins. In a few weeks, your varicose veins, of course, will fade away. Another form of varicose vein treatment would be catheter assisted procedures. This is where they stick a tube inside your veins that heats up. As it heats up, it is pulled back out and clerestories that vain causing it to shut down. Last, but not least, you can do varicose vein removal. In this case, it is usually called vein stripping. They will remove the long veins from your body, and it does not affect the circulation to your legs.
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