Veins, acting as “pipes,” have to frequently work against gravity to push blood back towards the heart especially when we sit or stand. These veins have valves that assist in the one-way flow back to the heart. Further, leg muscles especially calf muscles act like a pump much like a sump pump in our basement.
Over time, compounded by factors such as genetic predisposition, pregnancies, hormonal changes, prolonged sitting or standing, lifting weights, and age, some veins fail. Unable to move forward, blood begins to backtrack and pool in the legs causing the familiar symptoms of heaviness, achiness, and tiredness in legs, particularly in the evenings. Increased pressure on the vein walls makes them “gnarly” or varicose. Some veins that are close to the surface of the skin can be seen from the outside as ropy veins or spider veins.
Venous hypertension (increased pressure of the blood in failed veins) predisposes you to profuse bleeding. Elevated pressure causes fluid from veins to leak out into surrounding space much like flooding in our basement when a pipe breaks.
Remember that the blood in veins is deoxygenated (has “low” oxygen content) and replete with waste products. This blood needs to be sent back to the heart where it can be enriched and put back in circulation. When there is an increased buildup of venous blood in the legs, patients may notice itching, burning, leg cramps (charley horses), and restlessness. Persistent stasis (pooling) causes hyperpigmentation (discoloration of the skin due to deposition of the hemosiderin pigment from the breakdown of red blood cells), cellulitis (skin infection), thrombosis (blood clots), and poorly healing ulcers (sores) in the legs. This is comparable to staining on the walls from leaky pipes, growth of mold, cracks in the walls, and eventually its breakdown.
These unhealthy veins in the legs are unnecessary. In the past, they were removed surgically. Modern treatment options are much easier, safer, and very effective with no downtime. Almost all insurance including Medicare offers coverage for symptomatic varicose veins. Contact Alsara Vein Clinic at 816-396-0245 to set up a Consultation today.
Left untreated, they continue to worsen and turn into a serious problem.
Maybe you’ve seen the blue or purple squiggly veins on your legs that look like lines on a roadmap and wondered how to get rid of them. Maybe you are experiencing pain, cramps, restlessness, or have sores on your legs, and you were told by your Primary Care Provider that you have varicose veins. Perhaps you wondered “What the heck are varicose veins anyway” and “How do I get rid of them?”
What is a Varicose Vein (and CVI)?
In simplest terms, varicose veins are faulty blood vessels that have become overstretched and swollen with blood.
When your heart beats, it pumps blood through arteries to every part of your body carrying oxygen and essential nutrients. Since you have a limited amount of blood (about 5 liters in an adult), the deoxygenated blood returns to the heart via countless veins in your body. The veins in your legs are farthest from the heart and must work against gravity to push blood back to the heart. Compounded by other risk factors, some veins wear out over time and become “varicose”. The pooling of blood in varicose veins may cause symptoms such as heaviness, tiredness, itching, burning, cramping, restlessness and pain. Left untreated, the increased pressure of blood in the leg veins can leak out, causing problems such as edema, skin discoloration, sores in legs that heal poorly, and frequent skin infections. This condition is called Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI).
Who gets them?
Although varicose veins affect both men and women, they are slightly more common in women who tend to have them at an earlier age. This may also have to do with the fact that men are less inclined to seek timely medical care. Hence, it is not a surprise that men have more advanced stages of varicose veins and CVI by the time they see a vein specialist compared to women. People in general are more likely to get them as they get older.
Frequently there is a genetic predisposition to vein problems. That means that if your mom or your sister has them, you are more likely to also have them. Things that put pressure on your legs and feet — like being overweight or standing for a long time, every day, without exercise — can also cause varicose veins. Pregnancies also make veins worse due to increased pressure of the uterus and the extra blood volume.
Do I need these veins? How do I get rid of them?
Once a vein is varicose, it is a diseased blood vessel much like a “weed” in your yard. Just like weeds compete for space and nutrients in your yard (and are formidable competitors!), varicose veins have weakened walls that facilitate easy entry of blood but instead of pushing the blood back in circulation, the blood tends to pool in them causing a wide variety of problems including life-threatening blood clots.
In the past, varicose veins were “stripped” much like pulling weeds from the yard. This was a painful, imprecise, and invasive surgery with significant downtime, scarring, and risk of complications. Even worse, many patients required additional treatment due to other veins rapidly becoming varicose.
In the last 15 to 20 years, our increased understanding of venous disease, modern tools available for accurate diagnosis, and minimally invasive treatments have revolutionized how we treat vein problems in legs. After your vein specialist has performed a detailed ultrasound scan of your legs, he/she will create a “road map”. Then, using tools such as Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA), your Vein Specialist can seal the underlying varicose veins at their source, much like closing the large root of weeds from the inside. Any smaller, persistent veins can then be treated using injection sclerotherapy that is analogous to using a weed killer in your yard. Some unsightly varicose veins are removed by microphlebectomy, the careful removal of unwanted veins through tiny openings using very fine instruments without the need for sutures or risk of scarring.
Current treatments are very safe, effective, and provide long-lasting relief without any downtime or painful recovery. Since varicose veins and CVI are serious problems, almost all health insurance companies, including Medicare and Medicaid, offer coverage for necessary scans and treatments.
Contact Alsara Vein Clinic at 816-396-0245 to set up a Consultation today.
Because heat dilates the veins, many vein issues increase during the summertime. As the veins expand with higher temperatures, leaky veins can get even worse, leading to more pooling of blood in your legs and problems associated with it such as pain, tiredness, cramps, swelling, and clots. There is an increased chance of seeing new spider veins, pain, and symptoms. Here are tips to help you enjoy the warm season:
1 Stay Cool
Make sure you wear clothes that won’t trap heat. Always use sunblock (SPF 30 or above) not just on your legs, but also on your face and nose, where thinner skin is more prone to developing spider veins.
2 Take a Dive
In addition to offering great respite from the summer heat, swimming is one of the best ways to promote normal circulation in your legs. Swimming is a low-impact exercise that saves your joints from the pounding, yet increases your heart rate and improves circulation overall. Also, cooling exercises like swimming and brisk evening walks are best because the lower temperatures help prevent the blood vessels from dilating.
3 Stay Hydrated
Keeping your body properly hydrated will help it effectively circulate blood, heal injuries faster, and allow for healthier skin. Though it seems like a no-brainer, patients with vein problems should pay close attention to their hydration levels during the summer when the heat can easily dry anyone out. If you plan on being out of the A/C, plan to also bring a water bottle along. Avoid caffeine.
4 Avoid Heels
We recommend flats and sandals rather than high heels as they keep your calf muscles from effectively pumping blood out of the leg. Wearing lower heels makes your calves work a little harder, keeping blood pumping throughout your legs and back to your heart where it belongs.
5 Elevate Your Legs
Since veins in our legs have to work against gravity to send blood back to the heart, it helps them if you take periodic 15-minute breaks, elevating your legs above the level of your heart. This facilitates the flow of blood back to the heart and helps “empty” some of the blood pooled in your legs.
6 Calf Pumps
Our calf muscles play a very important role in helping “push” blood upwards towards the heart against gravity. Sitting or standing for prolonged periods renders the calf pump inactive. We recommend taking breaks to walk or stand on tiptoes for 10-second intervals throughout the day whenever possible. Brisk walking, bicycling, using a stepper, and swimming is some of the best ways to strengthen calf muscles.
7 Wear Compression Stockings
They may not be at the top of anyone’s list of hot summer fashions, but compression stockings put pressure on your legs which helps to move blood up and away from your lower legs. Though you may not want to wear them outside during July and August for fear of overheating, wearing them regularly may prevent blood from pooling in your legs, which can cause or worsen vein problems.
Varicose and spider veins have ruined too many summers. To keep them from ruining this one, schedule a free consultation and complimentary vein screening at Alsara Vein Clinic at 816-396-0245 to set up a Consultation today. Current treatments allow us to permanently treat affected veins with no downtime and you can be rid of your compression stockings within days of treatments. Many insurers, including Medicare, offer coverage.
Treatment of ropey varicose veins may require one or more combinations of the following: Endovenous Laser Ablation, Injection Sclerotherapy (including Ultrasound Guided Sclerotherapy and Catheter Assisted Sclerotherapy), and Microphlebectomy.
Large bulging veins that appear on the skin surface as ropey veins are frequently a major branch of a deeper (inside the leg) saphenous vein, such as the Great Saphenous Vein, which is often, but not always, involved. Ultrasound testing is frequently necessary to determine the level of involvement. If the saphenous vein is involved, it would likely need to be sealed first using Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA). This step in itself is sometimes enough to “shrink” the bulging vein. Any remaining unsightly veins may be either closed with sclerotherapy (using medication to seal the vein) or sections of the bulging veins may be removed by microphlebectomy. Unlike vein stripping, microphlebectomy is a simple, out-patient procedure performed under local anesthesia. Using very fine instruments, sections of unwanted veins are carefully removed through tiny openings without the need for sutures and with minimal risk of scarring. Vein treatments may be staged (occur on separate days) or a combination of treatments may be performed on the same day if recommended by your Phlebologist (Vein Specialist).
Now you may be able to get rid of the unsightly ropey varicose veins during your lunch break (and start looking for that pair of shorts you thought you could never wear!).
Because heat dilates the veins, many vein issues worsen during the summertime. As the veins expand with higher temperatures, leaky veins can get even worse, leading to more pooling of blood in your legs and problems associated with it such as pain, tiredness, cramps, swelling, and clots. There is an increased chance of seeing new spider veins, pain, and worse symptoms. Here are tips to help you enjoy the warm season:
Five Tips To Fight Back
Stay Cool Make sure you wear clothes that won’t trap heat. Always use sunblock (SPF 30 or above) not just on your legs, but also on your face and nose, where thinner skin is more prone to developing spider veins
Take a Dive In addition to offering great respite from the summer heat, swimming is one of the best ways to promote normal circulation in your legs. Swimming is a low-impact exercise that saves your joints from the pounding yet increases your heart rate and improves circulation overall. Also, cooling exercises like swimming and brisk evening walks are best because the coolness helps keep the blood vessels from dilating.
Stay Hydrated Keeping your body properly hydrated will help it effectively circulate blood, heal injuries faster, and allow for healthier skin. Though it seems like a no-brainer, patients with vein problems should pay especially close attention to their hydration levels during the summer when the heat can easily dry anyone out. If you plan on being out of the AC, plan to also bring a water bottle along. Avoid caffeine.
Avoid Heels We recommend ats and sandals rather than high heels that keep your calf muscles from effectively pumping blood out of the leg. Wearing lower heels makes your calves work a little harder, keeping blood pumping out of your legs and back to your heart where it belongs.
Wear Compression Stockings They may not be at the top of anyone’s list of hot summer fashions, but compression stockings put pressure on your legs that helps to move blood up and away from your lower legs. Though you may not want to wear them outside during July and August for fear of overheating, wearing them regularly may prevent blood from pooling in your legs, which can cause or worsen vein problems.
Varicose and spider veins have ruined too many summers. To keep them from ruining this one, schedule a free consultation and complimentary vein screening at Alsara Vein Clinic. Current treatments allow us to permanently treat affected veins with no downtime and you can be rid of your compression stockings within days of treatments. Many insurers including Medicare offer coverage. Click here to see Insurance We Typically Accept.
Kick start this summer with healthy legs that look and feel great.
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Unable to move forward, blood begins to backtrack and pool in the legs causing the familiar symptoms of heaviness, achiness, and tiredness in legs, particularly in the evenings. Increased pressure on the vein walls makes them “gnarly” or varicose. Some veins that are close to the surface of the skin can be seen from the outside as ropy veins or spider veins.
Remember that the blood in veins is deoxygenated (has “low” oxygen content) and replete with waste products. This blood needs to be sent back to the heart where it can be enriched and put back in circulation. When there is an increased buildup of venous blood in the legs, patients may notice itching, burning, leg cramps (charley horses), and restlessness. Persistent stasis (pooling) causes hyperpigmentation (discoloration of the skin due to deposition of the hemosiderin pigment from the breakdown of red blood cells), cellulitis (skin infection), thrombosis (blood clots), and poorly healing ulcers (sores) in the legs. This is comparable to staining on the walls from leaky pipes, growth of mold, cracks in the walls, and eventually its breakdown.
When your heart beats, it pumps blood through arteries to every part of your body carrying oxygen and essential nutrients. Since you have a limited amount of blood (about 5 liters in an adult), the deoxygenated blood returns to the heart via countless veins in your body. The veins in your legs are farthest from the heart and must work against gravity to push blood back to the heart. Compounded by other risk factors, some veins wear out over time and become “varicose”. The pooling of blood in varicose veins may cause symptoms such as heaviness, tiredness, itching, burning, cramping, restlessness and pain. Left untreated, the increased pressure of blood in the leg veins can leak out, causing problems such as edema, skin discoloration, sores in legs that heal poorly, and frequent skin infections. This condition is called Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI).
Make sure you wear clothes that won’t trap heat. Always use sunblock (SPF 30 or above) not just on your legs, but also on your face and nose, where thinner skin is more prone to developing spider veins.
Treatment of ropey varicose veins may require one or more combinations of the following: Endovenous Laser Ablation, Injection Sclerotherapy (including Ultrasound Guided Sclerotherapy and Catheter Assisted Sclerotherapy), and Microphlebectomy.
