Varicose veins is a disease that seriously affects the quality of life. If it is not treated in time, it is simply intolerable.
This is why everyone facing such problems must understand the causes and manifestations of varicose veins. The most important thing is to study the best way to treat this disease.
General information
Varicose veins are a chronic vascular disease caused by blood stagnation (usually in the lower extremities). This is due to a malfunction of the vascular valve, which usually only transports blood from the lower limbs up to the heart. The stagnant blood exerts pressure on the blood vessel wall, causing the blood vessel wall to become thinner, lose its elasticity and deform, and expand significantly. On the leg of such a patient, the peristaltic "snakes" of blood vessels can be observed with the naked eye, forming "nodes" of varicose veins in some places.
Causes of varicose veins
There are many reasons for the development of this disease. In particular, varicose veins can cause:
- "Bad" inheritance. People with congenital valve devices or weak vein walls can experience varicose veins.
- Increased venous pressure. Many times, the factors that cause the increase in blood pressure cause the disease, namely pregnancy, obesity, constant vertical load (when a person stands for a day), and a sedentary lifestyle (sedentary work).
- Take hormone drugs. Certain hormonal drugs, such as high-estrogen contraceptives, can cause blood clots and cause varicose veins.
- Violation of blood circulation. These interruptions may be due to insufficient physical activity, smoking, wearing tight shoes, or chronic constipation.
- Hormonal disorders associated with age-related physical changes.
Manifestations and complications of the disease
The doctor noticed that varicose veins are not terrible in themselves, because their complications are very dangerous. In fact, in the initial stage of disease development, the expansion of the saphenous vein is a person's aesthetic problem (especially women). First, a network of blood vessels appears on the skin-the so-called "spider web. "At the same time, a person begins to feel heavy legs, swollen limbs, and pain when walking. These are important symptoms of varicose veins and should not be ignored under any circumstances. If a person is not in a hurry to see a doctor and find out the cause of the disease, he may develop varicose veins and encounter problems that cannot be solved without surgery.
As varicose veins develop, the skin of the calf area becomes denser and turns blue. Even after walking for a short distance, the patient's calf will start to "whoop" and swollen veins can be seen under the skin. In addition, these veins can become very painful over time.
But this is only the beginning of serious health problems. If a person does not start to fight the existing disease, the skin around the affected veins will begin to undergo irreversible changes, leading to the development of fatty skin sclerosis, followed by trophic ulcers. In addition, if left untreated, the inner wall of the vein can become inflamed and cause blood clots. This is the development process of thrombophlebitis. As the size increases, the blood clot blocks the venous cavity, and the blood clot may fall off at any time. And this situation is full of death.
Therefore, it is clear that there is a need to treat varicose veins. You need to start treatment as soon as possible. Next, we will consider the treatment of this serious disease.
medical treatement
In the complex treatment of varicose veins, drugs must be used. Most of them are capsules or tablets, which have multiple effects on the body. especially:
- Intravenous injection. These drugs increase blood flow, prevent thrombosis, and increase the tension of blood vessel walls. It is impossible to eliminate varicose veins with these drugs, but they can relieve leg swelling and eliminate burning and pain.
- Drugs that thin the blood. These drugs can thin the blood and promote better blood circulation to prevent thrombosis. Drugs can only be prescribed based on individual circumstances, and the time of use is determined by the doctor.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs. These include pills, ointments, and gels that relieve pain, reduce swelling, and prevent platelets from sticking together. More importantly, these drugs can prevent inflammation of the veins that cause thrombophlebitis.
Stockings and tights for varicose veins
Women face varicose veins more often than men. This is mainly due to hormonal changes (menopause, pregnancy) that occur in the female body. This is why the best way for them to prevent varicose veins is to wear special tight stockings or tights. This compression underwear can compress the legs and prevent varicose veins. It is an excellent way to prevent varicose veins. For conditions that have already appeared, this kind of underwear can protect the legs from pain, swelling and fatigue.
Spa
Since ancient times, people have known to treat varicose veins with water. At different temperatures, the veins will narrow and widen, which helps increase their elasticity. Knowing this, modern doctors use hydrotherapy in the early stages of varicose vein development, when the vascular network has just begun to appear on the skin. In addition, depending on the existing problems, bathing can be partial (applicable to feet only) or general (applicable to the whole body). The temperature of the water in this bath varies between 20 and 40°C.
Unconventional treatment
In the complex treatment of varicose veins, non-traditional methods can also be used. Here are some examples.
Potato juice
The veins of the affected area should be lubricated with freshly squeezed potato juice in the morning, noon, and evening, and bandages soaked in this juice should be used at night. In addition, 100 ml of potato juice should be drunk 3 turns/day. Varicose veins should be treated with this medicine for 3-4 months.
Apple cider vinegar
It is called the "number one medicine" for varicose veins, because apple cider vinegar can improve blood circulation, strengthen blood vessel walls and improve skin tone. The use is very simple: 2-3 r/day you need to lubricate the skin of the affected vein area with vinegar. At the same time, you should drink a glass of water diluted with 1 teaspoon. vinegar. The duration of treatment is 2 months.
Longevity Leaf
This is another effective way to treat varicose veins. Fill half a liter to half a liter with chopped longevity flower leaves, and then fill the bottle with 40% alcohol. After letting the product soak in a dark place for a week, filter it and wipe the affected area with a tincture for 2 r/day. Treatment should be supplemented by light massage of swollen veins. This treatment lasted 4 months.
Willow bark
Bathing with white willow bark will help fight this disease. For such a procedure, it is necessary to grind the bark and then grind 2 tablespoons. Pour the above-mentioned ingredients into 400 ml of water and boil it on low heat for 15 minutes. Put the finished product into the bucket, then lower your feet and keep it for 30 minutes. Put on elastic stockings immediately after the operation and let your legs rest. This procedure should be performed every other day for 3 months. By the way, in order to enhance the effect, the willow bark decoction can be diluted with the oak bark decoction.
All these methods are excellent methods to prevent this disease and provide a good help in the treatment of varicose veins in the early stage of the disease. However, practice shows that in 80% of cases, people with intravenous involvement will see a doctor in the late stage of the disease. In this case, compression underwear, creams and ointments, and folk remedies cannot affect the development of the disease in any way. Strict measures need to be taken. Fortunately, modern medicine is ready to provide an effective solution to this complex problem.
Sclerotherapy
This is a non-surgical method of treating varicose veins. Doctors use fine needles to inject a special substance into the affected vein-a sclerosing agent. This substance sticks the veins together from the inside, and as a result it dissolves and blood begins to flow through healthy veins. The number of sclerosing agent administrations can vary according to the severity of the lesion. And throughout the treatment process, the patient must wear pressure underwear.
As a result of this therapy, a person almost always forgets annoying varicose veins. Recurrence only occurs in 25% of cases and is usually associated with advanced disease. Of course, it should be understood that sclerotherapy is not suitable for pregnant women and obese people.
Laser Treatment
This is one of the advancements in modern medicine that allows you to get rid of varicose veins without surgery. The radiation generated by the laser "welds" the affected vein from the inside, thereby closing its lumen and cutting off the blood flow path. The blood flow starts to pass through the deeper veins. Over time, connective tissue is formed from glued blood vessels and then dissolves.
This problem-solving method is more effective than sclerotherapy. The trauma is small, the operation time does not exceed 40 minutes, and it can be discharged 2 hours after the operation. No wonder the use of laser to treat varicose veins is called "office surgery". In this case, an incision must be made in the skin only when large veins are eliminated, and small varicose veins are eliminated without damaging the tissue. One just needs to remember that the cost of this operation is quite high.
Radiofrequency ablation
Recently, in our country, they began to implement the most modern method of eliminating affected veins, namely radiofrequency ablation. It is used to treat the major large veins affected by varicose veins. In this case, a radiofrequency catheter is inserted through the skin into the affected vein, and then microwaves are used to "infuse" the vein from the inside. In addition, the catheter has sensors that allow you to monitor the effectiveness of the procedure.
This method is comparable to laser treatment, because it does not require an incision on the skin, does not leave a hematoma, and can be completed in just 30 minutes. On the day of the operation, the patient can return to work. However, even compared with laser coagulation, the cost of this operation is high.
Surgery
It is important to understand that for eczema, thrombophlebitis, and trophic ulcers, the above methods are not treated. Only through surgical removal of veins combined with sclerotherapy can it be possible to eliminate the neglected varicose veins. However, everything here is not that important. In the arsenal of modern surgeons, there are some low-traumatic microsurgery methods that allow you to remove diseased veins through a small incision without leaving a scar after the operation. In addition, the new technology can remove painful veins in as little as 30-40 minutes.
There is no need to be afraid of varicose veins. On the contrary, this disease requires close attention to oneself, and the sooner the better. Timely identification and correct selection of treatment methods will enable you to eliminate the disease without any problems and live a fulfilling life.
Stay healthy!