Varicose veins in the legs are a chronic disease. The causes of varicose veins can be hereditary factors, passive lifestyle, high loads on the legs and blood vessels. Varicose veins are common during pregnancy.
In pregnant women, the load on the legs increases, edema frequently occurs and, in this context, blood clots and other problems with the blood vessels may appear, causing varicose veins.
In the first symptoms of varicose veins (swollen veins, venous mesh in the legs, severe swelling in the legs, pain in the legs and feet), you should consult a phlebologist. A thorough examination will be necessary to establish the diagnosis and the degree of varicose veins. After receiving the necessary data, the doctor will inform you on how to treat varicose veins in your legs, prescribe the necessary medications and procedures.
What specialist treats varicose veins?
When varicose veins occur, many patients do not know which doctor treats the varicose veins? All vascular diseases are treated by a phlebologist. The phlebologist is a narrow medical specialization that involves the diagnosis and treatment of pathological diseases of the veins.
Naturally, a phlebologist should not be visited when varicose veins are in an advanced stage. It is advisable to have a personal phlebologist who can observe the development of venous diseases at an early stage and prescribe treatment.
If you have varicose veins, it is advisable to contact a vein specialist - phlebologist
Methods of treatment of varicose veins
Varicose veins belong to the group of unpleasant and dangerous diseases, for whose effective cure various means are used. How to treat varicose veins? Varicose veins can be treated by choosing one of several methods.
The choice of treatment for varicose veins depends on the severity of the disease and the individual characteristics of the human body. The procedure for treating varicose veins should be agreed with your doctor. Among the ways to combat diseases of the leg veins, the following effective methods can be distinguished:
Sclerotherapy
The essence of this technique is that a special substance (sclerosing) is injected into diseased veins through a fine needle.
The sclerosing agent, when entering the vein, leads to the bonding of its walls and the removal of the affected vessel from the general network of blood channels in the legs.
Sclerotherapy helps to remove small varicose asterisks after 3-5 weeks, and after three months, large varicose nodules and bumps will disappear.
Surgical removal of veins (Phlebectomy)
This technique is used for severe negligence of varicose veins. The surgical operation is performed when varicose veins lead to the appearance of large nodules and seals in the vessels, causing the appearance of huge blood clots. A significant disadvantage of surgical intervention for varicose veins are scars and scars on the skin.
Laser therapy for varicose veins is used as a convenient and absolutely painless method of dealing with varicose veins. The laser acts on the affected vessel according to the same principle as the sclerotherapy procedure. The blood vessel walls under the influence of laser beams are welded, but it will take a long time to treat varicose veins effectively. A positive aspect of laser therapy for varicose veins is the absence of scarring on the skin.
Hirudotherapy or treatment of varicose veins with leeches. Leeches for varicose veins are often used by natural medicine practitioners. This does not mean that the hirudotherapy technique is effective, it has many disadvantages. To obtain a noticeable effect from hirudotherapy, it is necessary to take several courses, in each of which there are 8 sessions. Treatment of varicose veins with leeches can be effective only in the early stage of vascular disease.
Prevention of varicose veins
Varicose veins begin to manifest themselves in the form of severe or episodic pain in the legs, the appearance of a vascular network on the skin of the legs and protruding veins with a bluish hue.
It is advisable to warn varicose veins in advance, then look for various methods of their cure. Here are some precautions you can take to prevent the development of varicose veins.
- Do not wear tight, uncomfortable high-heeled shoes. From uncomfortable shoes in the vessels of the legs, the pressure increases, which leads to the formation of blood clots and the development of varicose veins.
- Regular exercise can help you avoid varicose veins. It is advisable to set aside time each day to walk, run, dance, swim. Varicose veins often develop in salespeople, hairdressers, flight attendants. Why is this trend observed? The legs of people who practice these professions during the day receive an enormous static load as a result of prolonged standing. As a result, the development of varicose veins.
- Body weight must be monitored constantly, as it is the extra kilos that increase the load on the leg vessels and increase blood pressure on the walls.
- It is advisable to take regular walks with bare feet on various rough surfaces (pebbles, sand, dry grass). In this way, effective toning of the leg veins is achieved and, at the same time, the leg muscles relax and rest well.
- Do not often consume salty and spicy foods, alcoholic beverages. All spicy and salty foods contribute to the formation of blood clots in the vessels and the development of varicose veins. You can dilute the thick blood with plain water or unsalted tomato juice.
- Varicose veins often cause the development of an unpleasant phenomenon such as cellulite. How to treat cellulite with varicose veins? For a patient with varicose veins, several procedures are contraindicated to effectively combat cellulite. Therefore, the doctor must select an individual treatment plan for varicose veins, which will indicate how to deal with the resulting cellulite. With varicose veins, it is allowed to carry out a limited number of procedures that aim to eliminate the signs of cellulite. These treatments include blue clay foot wraps, contrast water treatments, swimming and brisk walking. With varicose veins, exposure to high temperatures in the affected areas of the legs is extremely undesirable. Therefore, it is necessary to abandon thermal wraps in the fight against cellulite. With varicose veins, you cannot go to the spa and sauna, go to the solarium, massage the affected areas of your legs with swollen veins. With varicose veins, energy charges are contraindicated. Therefore, people who suffer from varicose veins will not be able to get rid of cellulite through great efforts.
Varicose veins - when should you see a doctor?
The first symptoms of early varicose veins should already be a sign to visit a specialist doctor. The main signs of varicose vein development are:
- Too much weight and fatigue in the legs, swelling of the legs.
- Night cramps in the calf muscles.
- Burning attacks and pain in the legs.
- Strain of the vein
- Appearance of small spider veins or large swollen vessels on the surface of the skin.
Varicose veins can occur not only in the lower limbs. Varicose veins of the small pelvis, varicose veins of the uterus, varicose veins of the esophagus or genitals are also known. With the development of one of these types of varicose veins, the following symptoms appear:
- Severe pain in the lower abdomen
- Swollen groin veins
- Unpleasant discharge from the genitals
- Pain during intercourse
- Pain in the sacrum and lower back that increases with the onset of menstruation
- Interruptions in the menstrual cycle, prolonged menstruation with spotty discharge.
The symptoms listed are not specific, they may indicate other diseases. In any case, if you suspect varicose veins, it is best to visit a competent specialist who will make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the necessary procedures.
Diagnosis of varicose veins
Diagnostic measures to determine the degree of varicose veins start to be performed by the doctor from the moment the patient makes the request. If the initial stage of varicose veins is diagnosed, treatment will be conservative. That is why a visit to the doctor should not be delayed if you suspect varicose veins.
For an accurate diagnosis of varicose veins and the degree of their complication, a comprehensive examination is performed using laboratory techniques and hardware. The patient must pass the exams necessary to carry out clinical and laboratory research, in addition to undergoing a series of procedures.
In particular, it is necessary to do a triplex ultrasound, dopplerography ultrasound of blood vessels, perform a minimally invasive assessment of venous blood flow. For an accurate diagnosis, you will need to have an x-ray of the veins (a special procedure in which a radiopaque contrast agent is injected into the diseased vein), to examine the pressure in the veins over time.
Based on the results obtained, the phlebologist makes a comprehensive conclusion about the presence of varicose veins in varying degrees.
Traditional medicine for varicose veins
Varicose veins are a common disease that, in most cases, cannot be treated with conventional drugs.
Varicose veins often occur in pregnant women who should not take strong medications.
That is why the treatment of varicose veins at home, with proven traditional medicine, is increasingly practiced.
- In the varicose veins, a decoction of hop cones, which should be drunk three times a day, a glass helps. Chopped hop cones (1 tablespoon) should be poured with boiling water and slightly insisted.
- Apple cider vinegar for the treatment of varicose veins is used both externally and internally. Drink apple cider vinegar diluted in water, one tablespoon a day. The areas of the legs affected by varicose veins are rubbed with pure apple cider vinegar, if there are no lesions and ulcers on the skin.
- Before going to bed, grated raw potatoes or finely chopped green tomatoes can be applied to swollen and swollen veins.
- For the treatment of varicose veins with folk remedies, you can prepare a special ointment from the herbal collection. You need to take a teaspoon of dried chamomile herbs, St. John's wort, chicory, coltsfoot and meadowsweet. The entire collection of herbs is poured with 1 ml of water and placed on the fire until boiling. After boiling, you need to add badger fat to the composition. For a week, the ointment should be applied to the areas of the legs with swollen veins, wrapping the legs with plastic wrap.
Treatment with folk remedies does not always have a lasting effect on varicose veins, but it effectively tones the veins and vessels in the legs. Alternative treatment of varicose veins can be used in the absence of opportunities for drug treatment.
It is possible to reduce the risk of developing varicose veins by observing the correct diet and practicing regular physical activities. Varicose veins can be completely cured by surgical intervention, which is performed after a thorough examination by a phlebologist.