Varicose veins are a disease that affects 30% of the world's population. Regardless of lifestyle, gender and age, this disease can be a problem for any person. But how to deal with this disease? TV commercials promise safety from conventional ointments in our veins, the Internet is full of articles about home remedies. So how to deal with the problem to forget it forever? Candidates of medical sciences, doctors of the highest category, heads of the phlebological center spoke about the important nuances of this disease, as well as modern possibilities for the prevention and treatment of the disease.
Who is at risk?
Varicose veins are the expansion of subcutaneous veins, accompanied by a violation of venous outflow. They increase in size due to the thinning of the walls of the vessel itself, and at the same time their diameter becomes larger. Basically, varicose veins are a hereditary disease, although other factors can contribute to the development of the disease.
"Sooner or later, the disease will manifest itself, " said the doctor. - If a person is a loader or heavy lifter, then he will face illness earlier. If he sits in the office, then, with age. In women, for example, this disease is associated with hormonal factors: pregnancy, childbirth, oral contraceptives.
People who are constantly standing, whose profession is associated with constant and prolonged stress, are always at risk of facing this disease. Our choice of shoes also affects: wearing high heels often causes disease. Also at risk are those who are overweight and lead a sedentary lifestyle.
Finding varicose veins is easy: this is not a disease with hidden symptoms. First, the problem is immediately accompanied by aesthetic defects: small blue-red vascular "asterisks" appear on the legs, dark blue intradermal veins become visible.
In addition, at the end of the day there is swelling of the legs, a feeling of heaviness and pain in the calves after a long stay in a sitting or standing position. The characteristic of varicose veins is the disappearance of these symptoms when walking and after sleeping.
How to treat?
Any disease should be diagnosed and treated only by a specialist. Therefore, it is impossible to accidentally buy various ointments and medicines yourself. Moreover, varicose veins have types, and each type has its own technique.
"There are cosmetic varicose veins, which are treated with laser therapy, and there are surgical ones: we eliminate them with the help of surgery, " explained the expert. – Varicose vein surgery is not treated with conservative methods. If so, then the trunk of the great and small saphenous vein is affected, and here medicine cannot be ruled out. Minimally invasive surgery is performed - that is, a procedure in which a small incision is made. The most economical treatment method is endovascular laser coagulation of veins. What is the procedure? The light guide is inserted through the vein, which closes it from the inside. This is a complex operation - the latest way of non-traumatic treatment of this disease. "
Basically, the specialist removes the vein using a stripping procedure. This is an operation where two incisions are made: in the groin and in the lower leg. A probe is inserted there, after which the diseased vein is removed in its direction. The procedure is quite painful: a person limps for a long time, and the leg heals up to six months. Until now, this type of varicose vein surgical treatment is used for economic reasons: it is very cheap for clinics and hospitals.
An amazing paradox
Varicose veins have long acquired the status of a woman's disease. It is believed that a large number of factors, such as wearing high heels, hormonal aspects and heredity, are enough for the fair sex to fall into the risk group in the first place. But in fact, the situation is diametrically opposite - men suffer from this disease several times more often.
"As you know, morbidity rates are registered through referrals, and often women come to the doctor, " explained the expert. - However, women worry about cosmetic defects. In fact, men are more likely to have varicose veins, but they go to the doctor at the last minute, when trophic ulcers have already appeared.
There are general recommendations for the prevention of this disease. If you have a sedentary job, try at least every hour to take a 10-minute break: take a walk, massage your feet. For activities that require constant standing on your feet, don't forget to take a contrast bath in the evening and take a herbal foot bath. Also, do not forget about moderate physical activity, which will strengthen the walls of blood vessels. And, of course, choose comfortable shoes: tight shoes never benefit anyone.