Varicose veins are a serious disease that significantly impairs the quality of life and without timely treatment makes it simply unbearable.
Therefore, it is important for anyone who has faced such a problem to know the causes of varicose veins, its manifestations and most importantly to study the best methods of treating this disease.
General information
Varicose veins are a chronic vascular disease that develops as a result of blood stagnation (usually in the lower extremities). This is due to failure of the vascular valves, which usually pass blood exclusively upwards, from the lower extremities to the heart. Stagnant blood puts pressure on the walls of blood vessels, resulting in them becoming thinner, losing elasticity and deforming and expanding significantly. On the legs of such a patient with the naked eye one can observe twisting "snakes" of blood vessels rising above the skin, and in some places varicose veins "knots" form.
Causes of varicose veins
There are quite a few reasons for the development of this disease. In particular, varicose veins can lead to:
- "Poor" heredity. Varicose veins encounter people with congenital weakness in the valve apparatus or venous walls.
- Increased venous pressure. Very often, factors that increase blood pressure lead to such a disease, namely pregnancy, obesity, constant vertical loads (when a person stands on his feet for a day), a sedentary lifestyle (sedentary work).
- Taking hormonal drugs. Certain hormonal drugs, such as birth control pills with high estrogen, cause blood clots and can lead to varicose veins.
- Violation of blood circulation. These disorders can occur due to 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 note that varicose veins are not so terrible in themselves as its complications are dangerous. In the early stages of the development of the disease, the expansion of saphenous veins is actually an aesthetic problem for a person (where women especially suffer). First, vascular networks appear on the skin - the so-called "cobwebs". At the same time, a person begins to feel heaviness in the legs, notices swelling of the limbs and feels pain when walking. These are important symptoms of varicose veins that should under no circumstances be ignored. If a person is not in a hurry to see a doctor and find out the cause of the disease, he risks running varicose veins and encountering a problem that cannot be solved without surgery.
With the development of varicose veins, the skin in the lower leg area becomes denser and becomes bluish. The patient's calves begin to "whine" even with a short walk, and under the skin you can see swollen veins. Moreover, such veins become very painful over time.
But this is only the beginning of serious health problems. If a person does not begin to fight the existing disease, irreversible changes begin to occur in the skin around the affected veins, resulting in the development of lipodermatosclerosis, and later trophic ulcers appear. In addition, the inner walls of the veins become inflamed and cause blood clots without treatment. This is how thrombophlebitis develops. Blood clots increase in size and block the lumen of the vein, and at any time the blood clot can fall off. And this condition is fraught with death.
It is thus quite clear that varicose veins need to be treated. And you should start treatment as early as possible. Next, we will consider methods of treating this serious disease.
Drug treatment
In the complex therapy of varicose veins medication is necessarily used. Most of these are capsules or tablets, which have a versatile effect on the body. In particular:
- Phlebotonics. These drugs increase blood flow, prevent the development of thrombosis and at the same time increase the tone of the vascular walls. It will not be possible to eliminate varicose veins with such drugs, but they are quite able to relieve swelling of the legs and remove the burning sensation and pain.
- Anticoagulants. Such drugs dilute the blood and promote better blood circulation and prevent the development of thrombosis. Medicines are only prescribed individually and the time of application is set by the 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 in the veins leading to thrombophlebitis.
Socks and tights from varicose veins
The fair sex face varicose veins much more often than men. This is largely due to hormonal changes that occur in the female body (menopause, pregnancy). Therefore, the most optimal way to prevent varicose veins for them is to wear special tight-fitting stockings or tights. Such compression underwear compresses the legs and prevents varicose veins, which means that it is an excellent prevention of varicose veins. And in case of an already developed disease, such underwear protects the legs from pain, swelling and fatigue.
Hydrotherapy
Treatment of varicose veins with water has been known since time immemorial. At different temperatures, the veins narrow and dilate, which helps increase their elasticity. Knowing this, modern doctors use hydrotherapy in the early stages of the development of varicose veins, when vascular networks have just begun to appear on the skin. Depending on the existing problem, baths can also be local (for the feet only) or general (for the whole body). The water temperature in such a bath varies from 20 to 40 ° C.
Untraditional 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 bandages with a bandage dipped in this juice should be applied at night. In addition, 100 ml of potato juice should be drunk 3 r / day. Varicose veins should be treated with such a remedy for 3-4 months.
Apple cider vinegar
It is called "remedy number 1" for varicose veins, and all because apple cider vinegar improves blood circulation, strengthens the vascular walls and improves skin tone. It is very simple to use: 2-3 r / day you need to lubricate the skin in the area with the affected veins with vinegar. And in parallel, you should drink a glass of water in which 1 teaspoon was diluted. vinegar. The duration of treatment is 2 months.
Kalanchoe leaves
This is another effective remedy for treating varicose veins. Fill a pint bottle with chopped Kalanchoe leaves halfway and fill the raw material with 40% alcohol to fill the bottle. After allowing the product to penetrate a dark place for a week, load it and use the tincture to rub the affected areas 2 r / day. The treatment should be supplemented with a light massage of the swollen veins. This treatment lasts 4 months.
Pilebark
Bathing with white willow bark will be a great help in the fight against this disease. For such a procedure it is necessary to grind the bark, after which 2 tbsp. l. pour such ingredients with 400 ml of water and cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Add the finished product to buckets of water, where you then lower your feet and hold for 30 minutes. And immediately after the procedure, put on compression stockings and let your legs rest. The procedures should be performed every other day for 3 months. By the way, to enhance the effect, a decoction of willow bark can be diluted with a decoction of oak bark.
All these methods are excellent means of preventing this disease and provide 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 go to doctors with an advanced disease. In such a situation, neither compression underwear nor creams and ointments nor folk remedies are in any way capable of influencing 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, where the doctor uses a thin needle to inject a special substance into the affected vein - a sclerosant. Such a substance adheres to the vein from the inside, resulting in it dissolving and the blood flow starting to flow through healthy veins. The number of sclerosant administration sessions may vary depending on the severity of the lesion. And during the entire treatment, the patient must wear compression underwear.
As a result of such therapy, a person almost forever forgets the annoying varicose veins. Relapses occur in only 25% of cases and are usually associated with advanced disease. Admittedly, it should be understood that sclerotherapy is not performed for pregnant and obese people.
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 "solder" the affected vein from the inside, thereby closing the lumen and interrupting the blood flow path, which begins to move through the deeper veins. Over time, connective tissue forms from the glued container, which subsequently dissolves.
This method of solving the problem is more effective than sclerotherapy. It is low traumatic, the operation takes no more than 40 minutes, and the patient can leave the clinic literally 2 hours after the operation. No wonder treating varicose veins with a laser is called "office surgery". In this case, incisions in the skin should be made only when large veins are eliminated while small varicose veins are eliminated without damaging the tissues. One just has to remember that the cost of such an operation is quite high.
Radiofrequency ablation
Recently, in our country, they began to practice the most modern method of eliminating the affected veins, which is called radiofrequency ablation. It is used to treat the largest large veins that are affected by varicose veins. In this case, a radiofrequency catheter is inserted through a puncture in the skin of the affected vein, which by means of microwaves "brews" 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 because it also does not require incisions on the skin, does not leave hematomas and is performed in just 30 minutes. On the day of surgery, the patient can return to his duties. However, the cost of such a procedure is high, even in comparison with laser coagulation.
Surgical removal
It is important to understand that in the case of eczema, thrombophlebitis and trophic ulcers, treatment with the above methods is not performed. Neglected varicose veins are only possible by surgical removal of veins in connection with sclerotherapy. However, not everything is so critical here either. In the arsenal of modern surgeons, there are low-traumatic microsurgical methods that allow you to remove a diseased vein through a small incision, and there will simply be no scars after the procedure. In addition, 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 great deal of attention to itself, and the sooner the better. Timely identification and a correctly selected treatment method allow you to eliminate the disease without problems and live a full life.
Good health to you!