Kass Clinics

Do You Have Varicose Veins?

Most people think varicose veins are usually only identified by the visibly unattractive blue or purple rope-like veins that trail your legs. Believe it or not, there are many patients who may be experiencing symptoms they are not even associating with varicose veins because they cannot see them.

Patients can be experiencing one or more of the following symptoms in their legs:

• Swelling or Throbbing
• Pain or cramping feeling
• Heaviness or Tiredness
• Tingling or Burning Sensations
• Itching Sensation
• Tenderness in Spots Around a Vein

If left untreated the symptoms you are experiencing may progress to more serious complications including:

• Blood clots (e.g., DVT deep vein)
• Phylebitis (Inflammation)
• Thrombosis (clotting in the circulatory system)
• Ankle sores or skin ulcers

What is a Varicose Vein?

In looking at the entire circulatory system, arteries carry oxygen-rich blood from your heart to the rest of your body.  Once the various body parts use the oxygen in the blood, the veins return the oxygen-depleted blood back to your heart.  This process is known as the venous pump.  If the veins are weak or not functioning properly – a condition known as venous insufficiency – the entire system struggles and causes the veins to swell creating varicose veins, leg swelling and pain.

Understanding the Venous System

There are three kinds of veins in your legs. Deep veins, superficial veins, and perforating veins.  Closest to the skin surface are perforating veins which connect to the superficial veins – they then go to bone and muscle level and connect to the deep veins. Because you have several layers of veins, not all are visible. Therefore, not all damage or vascular issues are visible just by looking at your leg. Gravity is the enemy to the circulatory system. Veins must work very against gravity to pump blood back to the heart, just like trying to swim up stream. To keep the blood moving in the right direction and from flowing backwards, veins contain valves which are like the locks on a damn to hold back the blood. The valves open to let the blood pass through and then close again. When these one way valves are not working properly, the walls of the vein become weak as blood pools inside the vein causing them to bulge out – forming a varicose vein. Because of the superficial nature of the vein, the bulging, twisting, rope-like result can be seen through the surface of the skin in most cases.

Don’t I Need These Veins Even if They are Damaged?

One of the most common questions asked by Kass Clinic’s patients is “don’t I need these veins even though they’re damaged”? The answer is NO, you don’t need them. In fact you create a healthier circulatory system by removing the damaged veins. You have miles of superficial veins in your leg, and a person with varicose veins is experiencing issues are only a small portion. Your body is smart and already working to redirect the venous blood flow in your legs through the miles of good veins. When we treat your varicose veins, and alleviate the back pressure and incorrect flow your circulation will improve! Less stress, less redirection equals a healthier you.

Knowing the Symptoms of Varicose Veins

Approximately 40 million people suffer from varicose veins and most are women. Although many people consider it to be a cosmetic condition, the fact is that varicose veins in most cases are a illness that can be rectified with a medically necessary procedure. Although not life threatening, they are an indication of a larger vascular problem which should not be ignored.

The presence of varicose veins is proof that a once healthy vein is not functioning properly or working efficiently. Phlebitis (inflammation of veins), thrombosis (blood clots within the veins), and skin ulcers may occur when large veins go untreated. More often than not treatment of varicose veins or a portion of treatment is covered by health insurance.

How to Recognize Varicose Vein Symptoms:

Varicose veins are superficial veins which have become dilated (widened and filled with blood) with valves that are malfunctioning. Most people think you can only see varicose veins as the abnormally large ‘ropy’ veins close to the surface of the skin. While this is true in most cases, some people with venous disease have no visible veins. Yes, you can still have vascular issues that are not visibly present. This is why paying close attention to other symptoms your body is sharing with you is key.
Ask yourself these questions:

Are my legs tired?

Do my legs ache?

Are certain areas of my legs always itchy?

To my legs and/or feet often swell?

Am I waken from leg cramps or tingling?

These are all signs that the circulation controlling the flow of blood to the heart may not be flowing properly, causing stress on your veins and extra work for your circulatory system. While vein conditions are not preventable and usually hereditary, they are TREATABLE!

What Are the Leading Causes of Varicose Veins:

Heredity:

By far the number one cause is our family gene pool. Heredity may be causing you to be genetically predisposed to varicose veins. If your parents and/or grandparents had vascular issues, you are at greater risk.

Pregnancy:

Blood volume increases almost fifty percent during pregnancy. This causes greater stress on the vein walls. Also the increase in hormone levels during pregnancy again effects your circulation and contributes to vein enlargement and stress on your circulation.

Gender:

Females are at higher risk for vascular issues or venous disease due to several issues most commonly associated with women. Hormonal conditions, pregnancy and many medical conditions associated with females can cause thinning and stress to the vein walls. The use of hormone replacement and birth control can also have an effect on your circulation.

Obesity:

A staggering 33% of Americans are obese. Along with increased weight come many other issues that cause abnormal stress levels on your circulation and body in general. Extra weight has your circulation working harder to move blood through your veins putting you at risk of vascular issues.  Many obese people also have illnesses such as diabetes which even further increase the risk of varicose veins due to poor circulation.

Prolonged Standing:

Gravity is a vein’s enemy! Occupations such as hair dressers, bartenders, retail or assembly line workers, doctors and nurses or lifestyles that involve standing for long periods of time can cause an increase in blood pressure, leg swelling and increased blood volume in the lower limbs.

The most common occupations of our patients are:

#1 Teachers

#2 Medical Professionals such as nurses and doctors

#3 Restaurant and Retail professionals such as bartenders and cashiers.

#4 Hair Stylists

While you cannot prevent vascular conditions from prolonged standing, you can help elevate some of the stress by taking the time to sit for a few minutes, periodically move around, flex your legs and even elevate your feet after long periods of standing.

Age:

The overall changes which occur in our bodies during the aging process naturally affect our veins. Our vein walls lose elasticity causing the valves to malfunction. Our veins lose strength and are working harder to pump blood through the circulatory system.

Physical Trauma:

Injuries such as blunt force trauma to the lower limbs can damage underlying blood vessels and add to vein reflux issues.

Proper Diagnosis is the First Step!

We perform an extensive history and physical exam along with a real time venous ultrasound of the legs for all of our patients here at Kass Clinics prior to treatment. This important and painless procedure identifies the problem veins and gives our medical staff a detailed road map of your vein issues. This is an important process in formulating your individual course of treatment tailored exclusively for your condition. Depending on the location and size of the problem veins, most patients at this point will require a series of injections (compression sclerotherapy) to eradicate their varicose veins. More serious cases may also require EVLT or Venous Closure in conjunction with sclerotherapy. All are in-office safe procedures that will not interrupt your normal daily lifestyle.

Because the development of varicose veins is usually progressive early diagnosis and treatment is important. The sooner you treat any vascular issues the better the results and less invasive the treatment. While there is no way to reverse these symptoms and turn a varicose vein back into a healthy vein, there is a treatment to redirect the blood flow, thereby relieving the problems associated with varicose veins.

If your feet or ankles are swollen, if you have numbness or tingling in your legs or bulging unattractive surface veins you’re embarrassed by, don’t delay. Call our vein treatment experts at Kass Clinics to schedule a free vein consultation. You deserve healthier legs and a happier you!