Varicose veins are a serious disease that significantly impairs quality of life and simply makes them unbearable without timely treatment.
Therefore, it is important that everyone who has faced such a problem knows the causes and manifestations of varicose veins and, most importantly, studies the best methods of treating the disease.
general information
Varicose veins are chronic vascular diseases that develop as a result of stagnation of the blood (usually in the lower extremities). This is caused by a failure of the vascular valves, which usually conduct blood only upwards, from the lower extremities to the heart. Stagnant blood puts pressure on the walls of blood vessels, causing them to thin, lose their elasticity and deform, expanding significantly. On the feet of such a patient, a writhing "snake" of blood vessels can be observed with the naked eye, rising above the skin and forming varicose "nodes" in places.
Causes of varicose veins
There are several causes for this disease. In particular, varicose veins can lead to:
- "Bad" inheritance. Varicose veins come from people who have a congenital weakness in the valve system or venous walls.
- Increased venous pressure. Very often, the factors that increase blood pressure lead to such a disease, namely pregnancy, obesity, constant vertical loads (when a person is standing on their feet for a day), a sedentary lifestyle (sedentary work).
- Taking hormonal drugs. Certain hormonal medications, such as high-estrogen birth control pills, cause blood clots and can lead to varicose veins.
- Violation of blood circulation. These disorders can be caused by poor physical activity, smoking, wearing too tight shoes, or chronic constipation.
- Hormonal disorders associated with age-related changes in the body.
Manifestations and complications of the disease
Doctors notice that varicose veins alone are not as terrible as their complications. In fact, in the first stage of the disease, dilation of the saphenous veins is an aesthetic problem for a person (from whom women in particular suffer). First, vascular networks appear on the skin - called "cobwebs. "At the same time, a person feels difficulty in the legs, notices swelling of the limbs, and feels pain while walking. These are important symptoms of varicose veins that should not be ignored in any way. If a person is not in a hurry to see a doctor and finds out the cause of the disease, he or she risks running varicose veins and encounters a problem that cannot be resolved without surgery.
With the development of varicose veins, the skin in the lower leg area becomes denser and bluish. The patient’s calves begin to "whine" even after a short walk, and swollen blood vessels are visible under the skin. Moreover, over time, such veins become very painful.
But this is just the beginning of serious health problems. If a person does not start fighting the existing disease, irreversible changes begin in the skin surrounding the affected veins, resulting in lipodermatosclerosis, followed by trophic ulcers. Moreover, without treatment, the inner walls of the veins become inflamed and cause blood clots. This is how thrombophlebitis develops. As the size increases, the blood clots block the lumen of the vein and can come off at any time. And this condition is full of death.
Thus, it is quite clear that varicose veins need to be treated. And therapy should be started as soon as possible. We then examine methods of treating this serious disease.
Drug treatment
Drugs are necessarily used in the complex therapy of varicose veins. Most of them are capsules or tablets that have a multifaceted effect on the body. In particular:
- Phlebotonics. These drugs increase blood flow, prevent thrombosis, and at the same time increase the tone of the vessel walls. Varicose veins cannot be eliminated with such medications, but they are quite capable of relieving swelling of the legs, eliminating the burning sensation and pain.
- Blood thinners. Such drugs dilute the blood and promote better blood circulation, preventing the development of thrombosis. Medications are only prescribed individually and the timing of administration is determined by your doctor.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs. These include pills, ointments and gels that relieve pain, relieve swelling and prevent platelets from sticking together. More importantly, these drugs prevent inflammation of the veins, which leads to thrombophlebitis.
Stockings and tights of varicose veins
Gays are much more likely to experience varicose veins than men. This is largely due to hormonal changes in the female body (menopause, pregnancy). This is why the most optimal way to prevent varicose veins for them is to wear special, tight-fitting stockings or stockings. Such compression underwear compresses the legs and prevents the formation of varicose veins, which means excellent prevention of varicose veins. And in the case of an already established disease, such underwear protects the feet from pain, swelling and fatigue.
Hydrotherapy
The treatment of varicose veins with water has been known since ancient times. At different temperatures, the veins narrow and widen, which helps increase their flexibility. With this in mind, modern doctors use hydrotherapy in the early stages of varicose veins, when vascular networks have only just begun to appear on the skin. In addition, depending on the problem, baths can be local (for the feet only) or general (for the whole body). The temperature of the water in such a bath varies between 20 and 40 ° C.
Unusual treatments
Non-traditional methods can be used in the complex treatment of varicose veins. Here are some examples.
Potato juice
The affected vessels should be smeared with freshly squeezed potato juice in the morning, afternoon and evening, and at night with a bandage dipped in this juice. In addition, drink 100 ml of potato juice 3 r / day. Varicose veins should be treated with such an agent for 3-4 months.
Apple vinegar
This is called "# 1 cure" for varicose veins, and all because apple cider vinegar improves blood circulation, strengthens blood vessel walls and improves skin tone. It is very easy to use: 2-3 r / day vinegar should be applied to the skin in the affected veins. In parallel, drink a glass of water in which 1 tsp diluted. vinegar. The duration of therapy is 2 months.
Kalanchoe is leaving
It is another effective medicine to treat 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 allowing the product to soak in a dark place for a week, filter and rub the affected areas with the tincture at 2 r / day. The treatment should be supplemented with a light massage of the swollen veins. This treatment lasts for 4 months.
willow bark
Baths with white willow bark are a good help in fighting the disease. Such a procedure requires grinding the bark followed by 2 tablespoons. l. pour such raw materials with 400 ml of water and boil on low heat for 15 minutes. Add the finished product to a bucket of water, then lower your feet and hold for 30 minutes. And immediately after the procedure, put on compression stockings and let your feet rest. The procedures should be performed every other day for 3 months. Otherwise, to increase the effect, willow bark decoction can be diluted with oak bark decoction.
All of these methods are excellent in preventing this disease and are a good help in treating varicose veins in the early stages of the disease. However, practice shows that in 80% of cases, the affected venous people seek medical attention with advanced disease. In such a situation, neither compression underwear, nor creams and ointments, nor folk remedies are able to influence the development of the disease in any way. 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 a doctor uses a thin needle to inject a special substance into the affected vein - a sclerosing agent. Such material binds the vein together from the inside, causing it to dissolve and blood flow to begin to flow through healthy veins. The number of sclerosing doses may vary depending on the severity of the lesion. And during treatment, the patient must wear compression underwear.
As a result of such therapy, one forgets about annoying varicose veins almost forever. Relapses occur in only 25% of cases and are usually associated with advanced disease. True, it should be understood that sclerotherapy is performed on non-pregnant women and obese women.
Laser treatment
This is one of the modern advances in medicine that allows you to get rid of varicose veins without surgery. The radiation generated by the laser "solderes" the affected vein from the inside, thereby closing its lumen and cutting off the blood flow path that begins to pass through the deeper veins. Over time, connective tissue is formed from the glued vessel, which then dissolves.
This method is more effective than sclerotherapy to solve the problem. Low traumatic, surgery takes up to 40 minutes, and the patient can literally leave the clinic 2 hours after surgery. No wonder laser treatment of varicose veins is called "office surgery. "In this case, the incision of the skin should be made only if the large veins are eliminated, while the small varicose veins are removed without damaging the tissues. Just keep in mind that the cost of such an operation is quite high.
Radiofrequency ablation
More recently, the most modern method of eliminating the affected veins, called radiofrequency ablation, has started to be practiced in Hungary. It is used to treat the main large veins affected by varicose veins. In this case, a radiofrequency catheter is inserted through the puncture in the skin into the affected vein, which "cooks" the vein from the inside using microwaves. In addition, the catheter has sensors that allow the effectiveness of the procedure to be monitored.
This method can compete with laser treatment as it requires no incisions on the skin, leaves no hematomas and can be done in just 30 minutes. On the day of surgery, the patient can return to his duties. However, the cost of such a process is high even compared to laser coagulation.
Surgical removal
It is important to understand that in the case of eczema, thrombophlebitis, and trophic ulcer, treatment with the above methods is not performed. Elimination of neglected varicose veins is possible only with surgical removal of veins and sclerotherapy. However, not everything is so critical here either. There are low traumatic microsurgical methods in the arsenal of modern surgeons that allow the veins of a patient to be removed with a small incision and there will simply be no scars after the procedure. In addition, new technologies make it possible to remove painful blood vessels in just 30 to 40 minutes.
You don't have to be afraid of retaliation. On the contrary, the disease requires a great deal of attention to itself, and the sooner the better. Timely identification and a properly chosen treatment method will allow you to eliminate the disease and live a full life without any problems.
Good health to you!