In the hot season, when you really want to wear shorts and short skirts, drawing attention to the legs, the image can be spoiled by vascular network, stars and swelling - clear 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 nice legs, " said Marlene Dietrich. But still, you should not forget about the health and beauty of her 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 many. Visible spider veins (telangiectasias), prominent veins and nodules are the most obvious. It is impossible not to notice such symptoms. But they appear when the disease is already running. But heaviness in the legs, restless legs syndrome, and swelling are not such obvious symptoms of varicose veins. If you already have them, this is a good reason to sign up for an appointment with a phlebologist. In general, this disease is well known to adult women, although unfortunately girls and even men know about it first hand.
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 vessels decreases, which means the elasticity and density of the veins. As a result, blood stasis starts in the legs, veins expand under pressure, and valves no longer close as tightly as they should. Because of this, some of the blood descends, stagnates even more and presses even more on the veins, stretching them. Blood flow decreases and the lymph gradually penetrates the vessel walls. Edema occurs and we feel heaviness in the legs. If you do not start treatment at this stage, the disease will progress.
Disturbed function of venous valves is not restored. First, a blue vascular network appears on the legs. Then nodules form in the veins - the blood stagnates and thickens in them, from which blood clots are formed. This is called thrombophlebitis. It is very dangerous: a blood clot that comes out and comes out of such a lump is a high risk of stroke or heart attack.
Most of the time, varicose veins are inherited. It also happens to those who are subject to static loads, for example, when you are constantly "standing" (sales assistants in stores) 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, weight lifting, frequent walking in high heels.
How to get rid of varicose veins
In fact, to prevent varicose veins from appearing, sometimes it is enough to walk. According to WHO standards, that's about 10, 000 steps a day, which isn't that much. If you are at risk (i. e. you have this problem in your family) then you need to see a phlebologist, wear compression stockings, try not to gain excess weight, limit static loads on your legs, wear comfortable shoes, venotonics (only on a doctor's recommendation), which will strengthen blood vessel walls and relieve inflammation.
The vascular network can be removed with the help of sclerosing injections. They are injected into small vessels, causing their artificial inflammation and causing them to "stick". The procedure is virtually painless and takes no more than 10 minutes.
Large vein expansion is treated with endovascular 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 almost completely able to abandon operations in favor of minimally invasive interventions. A very thin 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 entire procedure is fully automated - the laser and ultrasound sensor move by themselves. The procedure takes about 40 minutes. After that, a special compression stocking is placed on the leg, which must be worn without removing it for three days. After the procedure, the patient is not limited to movement and can go home alone. The effect can be seen in a few days.