VARICOSE VEINS


Varicose veins are enlarged veins that are swollen and raised above the surface of the skin which is most commonly seen on the posterior aspect of the knee.

They can be dark purple/blue, and appear twisted and bulging. The term commonly refers to the veins on the leg, although varicose veins can occur elsewhere. Leg muscles pump the veins to return blood to the heart. When veins become dilated and enlarged, the leaflets of the valves no longer meet properly, and the valves don't become inefficient. As a result, blood pools in the veins causing them to get larger and appear tortuous, bluish & swollen.

Varicose veins are more common in the superficial veins of the legs, which are subject to high pressure when standing or more so when walking or running.

Reticular veins and telangiectasis need to be differentiated from varicose veins by the size and location of the veins.
Hemorrhoids are a type of varicose vein.

It is more common in women, (progesterone is suspected to be the reason) and are linked with heredity.


SYMPTOMS
Pain and heavy legs (often worse at night and after exercise).
Itching.
Ankle swelling.
A brownish-blue skin discoloration.
Skin over the vein may become dry, itchy, thin & might lead to eczema.
The skin may darken (stasis dermatitis
Minor injuries to the area may bleed more than normal & take a long time to heal
Rarely, there is a large amount of bleeding from a ruptured vein or even infection. (In cases of individuals suffering from hemophilia)

CAUSES
Long standing as in case of various occupations.
Aging, as one gets older the veins tend to lose their elasticity making the valves incompetent causing stasis of the blood and leading to varicosity.

Physiological conditions such as pregnancy tend to develop varicose veins due to rising pressure of the enlarging uterus on the returning veins. (Hemorrhoids may be also observed in the same individual for the same reason)

Obesity is another factor contributing to varicose veins.
Wasting of the calf muscles involved in pumping the blood towards the heart.
Congenital absence of the valves in the veins or their incompetence.
Menopause.
Injury to the veins affecting the valves.
Venous thrombosis (blood clot).

DIAGNOSIS
Color Doppler (It provides us with the rate of blood flow through the blood vessel)
Ultrasound is also used to diagnose varicose veins. The incompetence of the valves as well as the possibility of thrombosis can be visualized.

Clinical methods used may involve Bordie-Trendelenburg's test to check the incompetence of the valves of the veins.

COMPLICATIONS
Pain and heaviness causing inability to work.
Superimposed infections due to scratching or constant touching. (A favorable environment for infection occurs due to stasis of blood)

Formation of ulcers which might not heal due to poor blood supply.
Very rarely carcinoma or sarcoma in long standing ulcers may develop.

OUR TREATMENTS Our treatments are Homoeopathic & Ayurvedic and we assure of delivering outstanding results without any side-effects.
No chances for occurrence of complications like thrombosis, infections etc.
We aim at treating the disease by removing the underlying cause, while other available treatments are always supportive and do not work on the cause of the disorder. There we find that only the cosmetic factor is usually taken care of.

OTHER TREATMENTS AVAILABLE
Sclerotherapy : Sclerosis here refers to thickening of the vessel wall and sealing off the blood flow after injecting a sclerosant. Complications of sclerotherapy can include blood clots formation, ulceration, allergic reaction, thrombophlebitis, skin necrosis, and hyper pigmentation. It is usually done under ultrasound guidance.

Traditional open surgery (now being discontinued)
Vein Stripping (removing of the varicose vein)
Laser surgery
Radiofrequency ablation
These methods however have a high tendency to show recurrence and involve the risk of complications and fail to consider the cause of occurrence of varicose veins.

WHAT CAN I DO MYSELF?
Elevating the legs helps to increase the return flow of the blood.
Using compression or elastic stalking.
Undertaking some sort of physical exercises would also help to increase the venous return (such as walking, plantar flexion exercises etc.), make sure you are comfortable doing the exercise - do not overstrain yourself.