Varicose veins are a serious disease that significantly impairs quality of life and, without timely treatment, makes it simply unbearable.
Therefore, it is important for everyone who has faced this problem to know the causes of varicose veins, their manifestations and, most importantly, to study the best treatment methods for this disease.
General information
Varicose veins are a chronic vascular disease that develops as a result of blood stasis (usually in the lower extremities). This is due to the failure of vascular valves, which normally pass blood exclusively upward from the lower extremities to the heart. Stagnant blood puts pressure on the walls of blood vessels and, as a result, they become thinner, lose elasticity and deform, expanding significantly. On the legs of this patient, with the naked eye, "snakes" can be seen twitching from blood vessels that rise above the skin and, in some places, form varicose "nodules. "
Causes of varicose veins
There are a few reasons for the development of this disease. In particular, varicose veins can lead to:
- "Bad" heredity. Varicose veins are found by people with congenital weakness of the valve apparatus or venous walls.
- Increased venous pressure. Often the factors that increase blood pressure lead to this disease, namely, pregnancy, obesity, constant vertical loads (when a person is standing for a day), a sedentary lifestyle (sedentary work).
- Taking hormonal drugs. Certain hormonal medications, such as the high-estrogen birth control pill, cause blood clots and can cause varicose veins.
- Violation of blood circulation. These interruptions can appear due to lack of physical activity, smoking, wearing shoes that are too tight, or chronic constipation.
- Hormonal disturbances associated with age-related changes in the body.
Disease manifestations and complications
Doctors note that varicose veins are not so terrible in themselves, as their complications are dangerous. In fact, in the early stages of the disease's development, the expansion of the saphenous veins is an aesthetic problem for a person (from which women especially suffer). First, vascular networks appear in the skin - so-called "spider webs". At the same time, the person begins to feel heaviness in the legs, notice swelling in the limbs and pain when walking. These are important symptoms of varicose veins, which in no case should be ignored. If a person is not in a hurry to see a doctor and discover the cause of the disease, he or she runs the risk of getting varicose veins and finding a problem that cannot be resolved without surgery.
As varicose veins develop, the skin on the lower leg becomes denser and more bluish. The patient's calves start to "moan" even with a short walk, and under the skin you can see the swollen veins. Also, over time, these veins become very painful.
But this is just the beginning of serious health problems. If a person does not begin to fight off the existing disease, irreversible changes begin to occur in the skin around the affected veins as a result of the development of lipodermatosclerosis and subsequently trophic ulcers appear. Also, without treatment, the inner walls of the veins become inflamed and cause blood clots. This is how thrombophlebitis develops. Increasing in size, blood clots block the lumen of the vein and at any time the clot can break loose. And this condition is fraught with death.
So it is quite clear that varicose veins need to be treated. And you need to start therapy as soon as possible. Next, we will consider treatment methods for this serious illness.
drug treatment
In complex therapy of varicose veins, medications are necessarily used. Most of them are capsules or pills, which have a versatile effect on the body. In particular:
- Phlebotonics. These drugs increase blood flow, preventing the development of thrombosis, and at the same time increase the tone of the vascular walls. You won't be able to get rid of varicose veins with these medications, but they are quite capable of relieving the swelling in your legs, eliminating the burning sensation and pain.
- Drugs to thin the blood. These medications thin the blood and promote better blood circulation, preventing the development of thrombosis. Medications are only prescribed individually and the timing of application is defined by the physician.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs. This includes pills, ointments and gels that alleviate pain, swelling and prevent platelets from sticking together. Most importantly, these medications prevent the inflammation of the veins that leads to thrombophlebitis.
Stockings and tights for varicose veins
The fair sex faces varicose veins much more often than men. This is largely due to hormonal changes that take place in the female body (menopause, pregnancy). That's why the best way to prevent varicose veins is to wear special tights or tights. These compression briefs compress the legs and prevent varicose veins, which means it is an excellent varicose vein prevention. And in the case of a disease that has already developed, these underwear protect the legs from pain, swelling and fatigue.
Hydrotherapy
The treatment of varicose veins with water has been known since time immemorial. At different temperatures, the veins narrow and widen, which helps to increase their elasticity. Knowing this, modern doctors use hydrotherapy in the early stages of varicose vein development, when vascular networks have just begun to appear in the skin. Also, depending on the existing problem, baths can be local (only for the feet) or general (for the whole body). The temperature of the water in such a bath ranges from 20 to 40 °C.
Unconventional treatments
In the complex treatment of varicose veins, non-traditional methods can also be used. Here are some examples.
potato juice
Affected veins should be lubricated with freshly squeezed potato juice in the morning, afternoon and evening, and dressings with a dressing soaked in this juice should be applied at night. In addition, 100 ml of potato juice must be consumed 3 r / day. Varicose veins should be treated with this remedy for 3-4 months.
Apple vinegar
It's called the "number 1 remedy" for varicose veins, and all because apple cider vinegar improves blood circulation, strengthens vascular walls, and improves skin tone. It is very simple to use: 2-3 r / day you need to lubricate the skin in the affected vein area with vinegar. And in parallel, you should drink a glass of water in which 1 teaspoon has been diluted. vinegar. Duration of therapy is 2 months.
Kalanchoe leaves
This is another effective remedy for dealing with varicose veins. Fill a half-liter bottle with half-chopped Kalanchoe leaves and fill the raw material with 40% alcohol to fill the bottle. After letting the product infuse in a dark place for a week, strain and use the dye to rub the affected areas 2 r / day. The treatment should be complemented by a light massage on the swollen veins. This treatment lasts 4 months.
willow bark
White willow bark baths help a lot in fighting the disease. To do this, it is necessary to crush the husk, after which 2 tbsp. me. Pour these raw materials with 400 ml of water and boil over low heat for 15 minutes. Place the finished product in buckets of water, then lower your feet and hold for 30 minutes. And immediately after the procedure, put on the compression stocking and let your legs rest. Procedures must be performed every other day for 3 months. By the way, to increase the effect, a willow bark decoction can be diluted with an oak bark decoction.
All these methods are excellent ways to prevent this disease and provide a good help in treating varicose veins at an early stage of the disease. However, practice shows that in 80% of cases, people with affected veins seek doctors with an advanced disease. In such a situation, neither compression underwear, nor creams and ointments, nor folk remedies are capable of affecting in any way the development of the disease. Drastic measures are needed. Fortunately, modern medicine is ready to offer effective methods to solve this complex problem.
sclerotherapy
This is a non-surgical method of treating varicose veins, in which the doctor, using a fine needle, injects a special substance into the affected vein - a sclerosant. This substance sticks to the vein from the inside and, as a result, dissolves, and blood flow begins to flow through healthy veins. The number of sclerosant administration sessions can vary depending on the severity of the injury. And throughout the treatment, the patient must wear compression underwear.
As a result of this therapy, the person often forgets about irritating varicose veins. Relapses appear in only 25% of cases and are usually associated with advanced disease. It is true that it must be understood that sclerotherapy is not performed for pregnant women and obese people.
laser treatment
This is one of the modern advances in medicine that makes it possible to eliminate varicose veins without surgery. The radiation generated by the laser "welds" on the affected vein from the inside, thus closing its lumen and interrupting the blood flow path, which begins to travel through the deeper veins. Over time, connective tissue is formed from the glued vessel, which subsequently dissolves.
This method of solving the problem is more effective than sclerotherapy. It is not very traumatic, the operation takes no more than 40 minutes and the patient can leave the clinic literally 2 hours after the operation. No wonder laser treatment of varicose veins is called "office surgery". In this case, skin incisions should be made only when large veins are removed, while small varicose veins are removed without damaging the tissue. Just remember that the cost of this operation is quite high.
Radio Frequency Removal
More recently, in our environment, they began to practice the most modern method of eliminating the affected veins, which is called radiofrequency ablation. It is used to treat the main large veins affected by varicose veins. In this case, a radiofrequency catheter is inserted by puncturing the skin into the affected vein, which, by means of microwaves, "infuses" the vein from the inside. In addition, the catheter has sensors that allow you to monitor the effectiveness of the procedure.
This method can compete with laser treatment, as it also does not require skin incisions, does not leave bruises and is performed in just 30 minutes. On the day of the operation, the patient can return to their functions. However, the cost of this procedure is high, even compared to laser coagulation.
surgical removal
It is important to understand that in the case of eczema, thrombophlebitis as well as trophic ulcers, treatment with the above methods is not carried out. It is possible to eliminate neglected varicose veins only by surgically removing the veins in conjunction with sclerotherapy. However, not everything is so critical here. In the arsenal of modern surgeons, there are low trauma microsurgical methods that allow the removal of a diseased vein through a small incision, and there will simply be no scarring after the procedure. Furthermore, new technologies make it possible to remove painful veins in just 30-40 minutes.
There is no need to be afraid of varicose veins. On the contrary, the disease requires a lot of attention to itself, and the sooner the better. Timely identification and a properly selected treatment method will allow you to eliminate the disease without any problems and live a full life.
Good health to you!