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 blood vessels may appear, leading to varicose veins.
At the first symptoms of varicose veins (swollen veins, venous reticulum on the legs, severe swelling of the legs, pain in the legs and feet), consult a phlebologist. A thorough examination will be required to establish the diagnosis and grade of varicose veins. After receiving the necessary data, the doctor will tell you how to treat varicose veins on the legs, prescribe the necessary medications and procedures.
Which specialist treats varicose veins?
When varicose veins occur, 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 seen 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 recommended to contact a vein specialist - 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 severity of the disease and the individual characteristics of the human body. The procedure for the treatment of varicose veins must be agreed with a doctor. Among the methods of combating diseases of the veins in the legs, the following effective methods can be distinguished:
Sclerotherapy
The essence of this technique is that a special substance (sclerosing agent) is injected into the diseased veins using a fine needle.
Sclerosing, entering the vein, leads to the adhesion of its walls and the removal of the affected vessel from the general network of blood channels on the legs.
Sclerotherapy helps to remove the small varicose asterisks after 3-5 weeks, and after three months, the large varicose nodes and bumps will disappear.
Surgical removal of veins (phlebectomy)
This technique is used for the severe abandonment of varicose veins. The surgical operation is performed when varicose veins lead to the appearance of large knots and seals in the vessels, causing the appearance of huge blood clots. A significant drawback of varicose vein surgery is scarring and scars on the skin.
Laser therapy for varicose veins is used as an affordable and absolutely painless method of treating varicose veins. The laser acts on the affected vessel according to the same principle as the sclerotherapy procedure. The walls of blood vessels under the influence of laser rays are welded, 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 scars on the skin.
Hirudotherapy or treatment of varicose veins with leeches. Leeches for varicose veins are often used by adherents of natural medicine. This does not mean that the hirudotherapy technique is effective, it has many disadvantages. To achieve 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 initial 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 bulging veins with a tinge of blue.
It is advisable to warn varicose veins in advance, rather than looking for various methods for its cure. Here are some precautions you can take to prevent varicose veins from developing.
- Avoid wearing tight and uncomfortable high-heeled shoes. From uncomfortable shoes in the vessels of the legs, 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 recommended that you take time every day to walk, run, dance, swim. Varicose veins most often develop in salespeople, hairdressers, flight attendants. Why is this trend observed? The legs of people with such professions during the day receive a huge static load due to prolonged standing. As a result, the development of varicose veins.
- Body weight must be constantly monitored, as it is the extra pounds that increase the load on the vessels of the legs and increase the blood pressure on the walls.
- It is recommended to regularly organize barefoot walks on various rough surfaces (pebbles, sand, dry grass). In this way, an 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 thin the thick blood with plain water or unsalted tomato juice.
- Varicose veins often provoke the development of such an unpleasant phenomenon as cellulite. How to treat cellulite with varicose veins? For a patient with varicose veins, a number of procedures are contraindicated to effectively combat cellulite. Therefore, the doctor must select an individual treatment plan for varicose veins, which will indicate the method of dealing with the resulting cellulite. 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 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 packs in the fight against cellulite. With varicose veins, you can not visit the bathhouse and sauna, go to the solarium, massage the affected areas of the legs with swollen veins. With varicose veins, power loads are contraindicated. Therefore, people suffering from varicose veins will not be able to get rid of cellulite with intense effort.
Varicose veins: when to see a doctor?
The first symptoms of early varicose veins should already be a signal to visit a specialist doctor. The main signs of varicose vein development are:
- Severe heaviness and fatigue in the legs, swelling in the legs.
- Night cramps in the calf muscles.
- Attacks of burning and pain in the legs.
- Distension of the veins
- 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 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 inguinal veins
- Unpleasant discharge from the genitals
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Pain in the sacrum and lower back that increases with the onset of menstruation
- Interruptions of the menstrual cycle, prolonged menstruation with soiling secretions.
The symptoms listed are not specific, they can signal other diseases. In any case, if you suspect varicose veins, it is better 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 begin to be carried out by the doctor from the moment the patient applies. If the initial stage of varicose veins is diagnosed, the treatment will be conservative. This 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 performed using laboratory and hardware techniques. 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 carry out a triplex ultrasound, an ultrasound dopplerography of blood vessels, to conduct a minimally invasive assessment of venous blood flow. For an accurate diagnosis, it will be necessary to take 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 complete conclusion about the presence of varicose veins of one degree or another.
Traditional medicine for varicose veins
Varicose veins are a common disease that, in most cases, cannot be treated with conventional medications.
Varicose veins often occur in pregnant women who shouldn't take strong medications.
That is why the treatment of varicose veins at home, using proven traditional medicine, is increasingly practiced.
- With varicose veins a decoction of hop cones helps, which you need to drink three times a day, a glass. Chopped hop cones (1 tablespoon) need to be poured with boiling water and insist 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 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, raw grated 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 entire collection of herbs is poured with water in the amount of 1 ml and set on fire until boiling. After boiling, it is necessary 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 cling film.
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 opportunities for drug treatment.
It is possible to reduce the risk of developing varicose veins by observing a correct diet and exercising regularly. Varicose veins can be completely cured with surgery, which is performed after a thorough examination by a phlebologist.