This image demonstrates how varicose veins develop.
Your veins have one-way valves that help keep blood flowing toward your heart. If the valves are weak or damaged, blood can back up and pool in your veins. This causes the veins to swell, which can lead to varicose veins.
Spider veins are small abnormally enlarged reddish or bluish vessels located at the surface of the skin. They can look like tree branches or spiderwebs with their short, jagged lines. They can be found on the legs and face and can cover either a very small or very large area of skin. Spider veins are like varicose veins but smaller. They can also can symptoms such as leg pain, itching, aching, burning and throbbing, just like larger veins.
In contrast to what most people think, spider veins are not only cosmetic but can actually cause symptoms, including swelling and heaviness of the legs. This may be in part because small spider veins can be a sign of underlying venous insufficiency or venous reflux disease.
Before and After spider vein treatment at La Jolla Vein Care. This picture demonstrates that spider veins (reddish spider-like vessels) can stem from underlying feeder vessels (the blue vein). The feeder vein can be compared to the ‘root’ of a weed; If you clip the surface branches of a weed without pulling the root of the problem, the weed will never go away.
Veins in certain locations, like in the inner knee or inner thighs and inner ankles, often arise from underlying venous incompetence of a vein called the great saphenous vein that runs from the groin along the inner thigh to the ankle. If spider veins do not respond to treatment, it is important to have an ultrasound evaluation to determine if there is an underlying source of the problem. Once the underlying problem is properly identified, it can be treated.
Spider veins can be the ‘tip of the iceberg’ and represent a bigger problem, that is not visible to the naked eye. For example, as seen in the first image, spider veins can arise from blue ‘feeder’ veins, which must be treated for best results.
Spider veins can also stem from an underlying problem such as venous reflux in larger veins, such as the great saphenous vein. As demonstrated in the second picture, spider veins in the inner knee, inner ankle and inner thighs can originate from this vein. This can only be determined by ultrasound examination. It is important to have your vein evaluated by a trained specialist. Effective treatment depends on an accurate and thorough diagnosis.
Before and After: Varicose vein treatment
La Jolla Vein Care
Before and After Treatment of Varicose Veins: This varicose vein that was bulging on the shin, was removed without surgery. A treatment method called sclerotherapy works by injecting a solution into the vein to eventually dissolve it.
Before and After Treatment of Varicose Veins: Varicose vein removal achieved with non-surgical treatment methods at La Jolla Vein Care.
Before and After Treatment of Varicose Veins: Varicose vein removal achieved with non-surgical treatment methods at La Jolla Vein Care.
Who gets varicose veins and why.
Both women and men can develop vein disorders at any age. It can affect the healthiest of individuals, but there are some conditions that increase your risk of developing varicose veins. They are mostly inherited; if both of your parents had varicose veins, you have a 90% chance of also having them. Other factors that increase your chance of developing vein disorders include being female, hormonal changes, pregnancy, getting older, having a job that requires many hours standing or sitting, being overweight, and a history of leg injuries.
Varicose Veins: Before and After Treatment. These varicose veins were removed without traditional vein stripping surgery at La Jolla Vein Care. To read more about minimally invasive varicose veins treatments, go to www.july01ljvascular.com
Graduated compression therapy is used to treat vein disorders such as varicose veins, venous leg ulcer, venous insufficiency, venous reflux disease, swelling, and after vein treatments. They work by applying external pressure to your legs reducing venous pressure. These elastic stockings squeeze or compress the veins and prevent blood from flowing backward. Compression stockings must be graduated, medical-grade compression to be beneficial. Graduated compression stockings are great to use if your want to increase circulation, support your leg veins, and want to reduce uncomfortable leg symptoms such as swelling, tired and achy feeling legs.
Over-the-counter support hose or TED hose are not adequate to reduce symptoms in venous disease for active patients. More questions about compression therapy can be answered at compressrx.com.
VENOUS LEG ULCER, BEFORE: This is a venous leg ulcer, caused by venous reflux or venous insufficiency. In this picture, you can see varicose veins above the wound.
VENOUS LEG ULCER, AFTER: Because this individual had reflux only in the superficial varicose veins, treatment consisted of foam sclerotherapy of the varicosities and compression with unna boot dressing. The wound healed rapidly and note that the varicose veins are gone.
A venous leg ulcer is an open wound on the leg, caused by long-standing vein problems. It is the most severe form of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Venous leg ulcers are common, accounting for over 70% of all leg wounds. It affects 1% of Americans and is the seventh leading cause for disability in the United States.
It is usually located around the ankle (on the inner or outer sides). It is caused by underlying venous insufficiency, or venous reflux. The persistent venous reflux (back flow of blood through faulty valves) causes high pressure within the leg veins. The high pressure, is then exerting outward on the skin, causing an inflammatory response, eventually causing the skin to break down. Visible signs of venous disease are varicose veins, ankle swelling, skin discoloration around the ankle and usually precede the leg wound. Underlying venous insufficiency can be detected by duplex ultrasound imaging (a non-painful study).
The treatment of venous leg ulcers is to correct the underlying problem: the faulty veins. Treatment of the underlying non-functional veins will reduce pressure from venous hypertension, allowing the wound to heal. There are a number of non-surgical treatment options that can accomplish this including foam sclerotherapy and endovenous ablation, depending on the affected veins. To determine if your leg wound is related to a vein problem or for treatment options, call us for more information.
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