Varicose veins in the legs are a chronic disease. The causes of varicose veins can be hereditary factors, a 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 often occurs, and against this background blood clots and other problems with the blood vessels may appear, leading to varicose veins.
At the first symptoms of varicose veins (swollen veins, venous thread on the legs, severe swelling of 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 tell you how to treat varicose veins on the legs, prescribe the necessary drugs and procedures.
Which specialist treats varicose veins?
When varicose veins appear, many patients do not know which doctor treats 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.
Of course, a phlebologist should not be consulted when varicose veins are at an advanced stage. It is advisable to have a personal phlebologist who can see the development of venous disease at an early stage and prescribe treatment.
If you have varicose veins, it is advisable to contact a specialist in veins - phlebologist
Methods of treating varicose veins
Varicose veins are one of the unpleasant and dangerous diseases, for the effective treatment of which 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 degree of complexity 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 methods of combating diseases of the veins of the legs, the following effective methods can be distinguished:
Sclerotherapy
The essence of this technique is that a special substance (sclerosant) is injected into the diseased veins using a fine needle.
The sclerosant, entering the vein, causes its walls to stick together and the affected vessel to withdraw from the general network of blood channels on the legs.
Sclerotherapy helps get rid of small varicose asterisks after 3-5 weeks, and after three months the large varicose nodes and lumps will disappear.
Surgical removal of the veins (phlebectomy)
This technique is used for gross neglect of varicose veins. The surgery is performed when the varicose veins cause large nodes and seals to appear in the vessels, causing huge blood clots to appear. A major drawback of surgery for varicose veins is the scarring and scarring on the skin.
Laser therapy for varicose veins is used as a convenient and absolutely painless method to treat varicose veins. The laser acts on the affected vessel according to the same principle as the sclerotherapy procedure. The walls of the blood vessels are welded together under the influence of laser beams, but it will take a long time to effectively treat varicose veins. 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 followers of natural medicine. This does not mean that the hirudotherapy technique is effective, it has many drawbacks. To achieve a noticeable effect of hirudotherapy, you need to take several courses, in each of which there are 8 sessions. Treatment of varicose veins with leeches can be effective only at the initial stage of vascular disease.
Prevention of varicose veins
Varicose veins begin to manifest as severe or episodic pain in the legs, the appearance of a vascular mesh on the skin of the legs, and protruding veins with a tinge of blue.
It is advisable to prevent varicose veins in advance, and then research various methods of cure. Here are some precautions you can take to prevent the development of varicose veins.
- Do not wear tight, uncomfortable high heels. 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 take time each day to walk, run, dance, swim. Varicose veins most often develop in salespeople, hairdressers, hostesses. Why is this trend observed? The legs of people in these professions during the day receive a huge static load due to prolonged standing. As a result, the development of varicose veins.
- Body weight should be constantly monitored, because it is the extra pounds that increase the load on the vessels of the legs and increase blood pressure on the walls.
- It is advisable to organize regular barefoot walks on various rough surfaces (pebbles, sand, dry grass). In this way, effective toning of the veins of the legs is achieved, and at the same time the muscles of the legs relax and have a good rest.
- Do not often consume salty and spicy food, alcoholic drinks. All spicy and salty foods contribute to the formation of blood clots and the development of varicose veins. You can thin thick blood with plain water or unsalted tomato juice.
- Varicose veins often cause the development of such an unpleasant phenomenon as cellulite. How to treat cellulite with varicose veins? For a patient suffering from varicose veins, a number of procedures are contraindicated to effectively combat cellulite. Therefore, the doctor should select an individual treatment plan for varicose veins, which will indicate the method of treatment of the resulting cellulitis. With varicose veins, it is allowed to use a limited number of procedures aimed at eliminating 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 on the affected areas of the legs is extremely undesirable. For this reason, it is necessary to abandon thermal wraps in the fight against cellulite. With varicose veins, you can not visit the baths and sauna, go to the solarium, massage the affected areas of the legs with swollen veins. With varicose veins, electrical charges are contraindicated. Therefore, people suffering from varicose veins will not be able to get rid of cellulite by intense exertion.
Varicose veins - when to see a doctor?
The first symptoms of early varicose veins should already be a signal to consult a specialist doctor. The main signs of developing varicose veins are:
- Severe heaviness and fatigue in the legs, swelling of the legs.
- Nocturnal cramps in the calf muscles.
- Attacks of burning and pain in the legs.
- Venous distension
- The appearance of small spider veins or large swollen vessels on the surface of the skin.
Varicose veins can occur not only on the lower extremities. 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 any 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
- Menstrual cycle disturbances, prolonged menstruation with spotting discharge.
The symptoms listed are not specific, they may signal other illnesses. In any case, if you suspect varicose veins, it is better to consult 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 begin to be performed by the doctor from the moment the patient applies. If the initial stage of varicose veins is diagnosed, treatment will be conservative. That is why a visit to the doctor should not be postponed if you suspect varicose veins.
For an accurate diagnosis of varicose veins and the degree of its complication, a comprehensive examination is carried out using laboratory techniques and equipment. The patient must pass the necessary tests to conduct clinical and laboratory research, as well as undergo a number of procedures.
In particular, it is necessary to do triplex ultrasound, doppler ultrasound of blood vessels, minimally invasive assessment of venous blood flow. For an accurate diagnosis, you will need to do a vein x-ray (a special procedure in which a radiopaque contrast agent is injected into the diseased vein), to look at the pressure in the veins over time.
Based on the results obtained, the phlebologist makes an overall conclusion about the presence of varicose veins of one degree or another.
Traditional medicine for varicose veins
Varicose veins are a common disease which in most cases cannot be treated with conventional medications.
Varicose veins often occur in pregnant women who should not take strong medications.
This is why the treatment of varicose veins at home is increasingly practiced, using proven traditional medicine.
- With varicose veins a decoction of hop cones helps, which you need to drink three times a day, one glass. Chopped hop cones (1 tbsp) should be poured with boiling water and insisted a little.
- Apple cider vinegar for the treatment of varicose veins is used both externally and internally. Drink apple cider vinegar diluted with water, one tablespoon per 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 veins and bumps.
- For the treatment of varicose veins with folk remedies, you can prepare a special ointment from the collection of herbs. You need to take a teaspoon of dried herbs of chamomile, St. John's wort, chicory, coltsfoot and meadowsweet. The whole collection of herbs is poured with water in the amount of 1 ml and put on 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 give a lasting effect for varicose veins, but effectively tones the veins and vessels of the legs. Alternative treatment of varicose veins can be used in the absence of drug treatment possibilities.
You can reduce the risk of developing varicose veins by eating the right diet and participating in regular physical activity. Varicose veins can be completely cured by surgical intervention, which is performed after a comprehensive examination by a phlebologist.