In the hot season, when you really want to wear short shorts and skirts, drawing attention to your feet, the image can be spoiled by a network of veins, stars and swelling - clear signs of varicose veins. We learned from a professional phlebologist how to solve this problem quickly and permanently.
"Every man is more interested in a woman who cares for him than a woman who has beautiful legs, " said Marlene Dietrich. But still, you must not forget the health and beauty of your feet. Especially if you already have vascular networks.
Expert opinion: vascular surgeon and phlebologist: "The most obvious symptoms of varicose veins of the lower extremities (or, to put it more simply, varicose veins) are not so many. Visible spider veins (telangiectasia), bulging veins and nodules are the most obvious. But heaviness in the legs, restless legs syndrome and swelling are not such obvious signs of varicose veins. If they are already present, it is a good reason to make an appointment to consult a phlebologist. In general, the disease is well known to adult women, althoughgirls and even men know this in advance.
Why do varicose veins appear?
The risk of varicose veins increases with age: we sit a lot, walk a little, gain weight, the blood thickens, hormonal changes occur, the level of collagen in the walls of the arteries decreases, which leads to elasticity and density of the arteries. As a result, blood stasis begins in the legs, the arteries dilate under pressure, and the valves no longer close as tightly as they should. Therefore, part of the blood flows down, becomes more stagnant and puts more pressure on the arteries, narrowing them. Blood flow slows down and lymph gradually penetrates the walls of blood vessels. Edema occurs and we feel heaviness in the legs. If you do not start treatment at this stage, the disease will progress.
Impaired function of venous valves is not restored. First, a network of blue veins appears in the legs. Then nodules form in the arteries - the blood stagnates and thickens in them, and then blood clots form. This is called thrombophlebitis. It is very dangerous: a blood clot coming in and out of such a node has a high risk of stroke or heart attack.
Varicose veins are often inherited. It also happens to those who are exposed to static loads, for example, when you are always "on your feet" (sales assistants in stores) or constantly sitting (all office workers). In addition, varicose veins can appear due to injuries, chronic vitamin and mineral deficiencies, hormonal changes (pregnancy, menopause), obesity or overweight, diabetes, heavy lifting, frequent walking in high-heeled shoes.
How to get rid of varicose veins
In fact, sometimes walking is enough to hide varicose veins. According to WHO standards, this is about 10, 000 steps a day, which is not much. If you are at risk (ie your family has this problem) then you should consult a phlebologist, use compression stockings, try not to gain weight, limit static loads on your feet, wear comfortable shoes, a course of venotonics (only on a doctor's recommendation), strengthen blood vessel walls andwill eliminate inflammation.
The vascular network can be removed with injections of sclerosants. They are injected into small blood vessels, causing them to become artificially inflamed and causing them to "stick together. "The procedure is practically painless and does not take more than 10 minutes.
Enlargement of large vessels is treated with endovasal laser coagulation (abbreviated as EVLT). This is a relatively new method that has been around for about 20 years. Thanks to him, vascular surgeons were able to almost completely abandon operations in favor of minimally invasive interventions. Under anesthesia and ultrasound control, a very thin laser is inserted into a vein - as thick as a fishing line. The laser beam affects the inner wall of the vessel and coagulates it along its entire length, after which it simply closes over time. The whole procedure is fully automated - the laser and ultrasound sensor move on their own. The procedure takes about 40 minutes. After that, a special compression stocking is put on the foot, which must be worn for three days without removing it. After the procedure, the patient's movement is not restricted and he can go home on his own. The effect can be observed within a few days.