In the hot season, when you really want to wear short shorts and skirts, drawing attention to your legs, the image can be spoiled by the vascular network, stars and swelling - obvious signs of varicose veins. We learned from a professional phlebologist how to solve this problem quickly and permanently.
"Every man is more interested in a woman who is interested in him than in a woman who has beautiful legs, " said Marlène Dietrich. But still, you should not forget about the health and beauty of your legs. Especially if you already have vascular networks.
Expert opinion: vascular surgeon and phlebologist: "The most obvious signs of varicose veins of the lower extremities (or, more simply, varicose veins) are not so numerous. Visible spider veins (telangiectasia), prominent veins and nodules are the most obvious. It is impossible not to notice such symptoms. But they appear when the disease is already in progress. But heaviness in the legs, restless leg syndrome and swelling are not such obvious symptoms of varicose veins. If you already have one, that's a good reason to sign up for a consultation with a phlebologist. In general, this disease is well known to adult women, although, alas, young girls and even men know about it firsthand.
Why do varicose veins appear?
The older we get, the greater the risk of varicose veins: we sit a lot and walk a little, we gain weight, the blood thickens, hormonal changes occur, the level of collagen in the walls of blood vesselsdecreases, which means the elasticity and density of the veins. As a result, blood stagnation begins in the legs, the veins expand under pressure, and the valves no longer close as tightly as they should. Due to this, part of the blood flows, stagnates even more and puts even more pressure on the veins, stretching them. The blood flow slows down and the lymph gradually penetrates the walls of the vessels. Edema occurs and we feel heaviness in the legs. If you do not start treatment at this stage, the disease will progress.
The disturbed function of the venous valves is not restored. First, a blue vascular network appears on the legs. Then, nodules form on the veins - the blood stagnates and thickens there, from which blood clots then form. This is called thrombophlebitis. This is very dangerous: a blood clot that breaks off and comes out of such a nodule poses a high risk of stroke or heart attack.
Most often, varicose veins are hereditary. It also happens to those who are subject to static loads, such as when you are constantly "standing" (store salespeople) or constantly sitting (all office workers). In addition, varicose veins can appear due to injuries, chronic vitamin and mineral deficiencies, hormonal changes (pregnancy, menopause), obesity or overweight, diabetes, heavy lifting, frequent walking in heelsTops.
How to get rid of varicose veins
Indeed, to avoid the appearance of varicose veins, it is sometimes enough to walk. By WHO standards, that's about 10, 000 steps a day, which isn't that much. If you are at risk (i. e. have this problem in your family), you should see a phlebologist, use compression stockings, try not to gain excessive weight, limit static loads on yourlegs, wear comfortable shoes, take a course of venotonics (only on the recommendation of a doctor), which will strengthen the walls of blood vessels and relieve inflammation.
The vascular network can be removed using sclerosant injections. They are injected into small vessels, causing their artificial inflammation and causing them to "stick together". The procedure is practically painless and takes no more than 10 minutes.
Expansion of large veins is treated with endovasal laser coagulation (abbreviated as EVLT). This is a relatively new method that has been around for about 20 years. Thanks to him, vascular surgeons were able to abandon operations almost completely in favor of minimally invasive procedures. A very fine laser is inserted into the vein under anesthesia and ultrasound control - as thick as a fishing line. The laser beam acts on the inner wall of the vein and coagulates it along its entire length, after which it simply closes over time. The whole procedure is fully automated - the laser and the ultrasonic sensor move by themselves. The procedure takes about 40 minutes. After that, a special compression stocking is put on the leg, which must be worn without removing it for three days. After the procedure, the patient is not limited in his movements and can go home on his own. The effect can be seen within a few days.