Blood clot develops in a deep vein while making it further difficult to move past it and thus damage the vein valve. These further results in blood pooling in the veins. When blood begins to pool in the veins instead of moving upward it leads to numerous problems. Some people develop visible signs of vein disease such as varicose veins, spider veins and often sores called ulcers on the legs.
Varicose veins are basically the swollen and raised blood vessels that twist and turn. Mostly they develop in the legs and can be perceived through the skin.
Spider veins on the other hand are smaller, purple, red and blue vessels that turn and twist. The spider veins are typically visible on leg and face.
For understanding varicose veins and why do you have them, it is crucial to have a rather general understanding of how exactly the venous and the arterial blood system works. Our blood system is made of three distinct types of blood vessels –
Medically speaking; the arteries carry oxygenated blood away from your heart towards extremities of your body. On the other hand; the capillaries are the small vessels, which enable the exchange of nutrients and oxygen with the rest of your body. The veins are the vessels that help in carrying the blood back to the heart.
But before we delve any further let us now talk about the Deep and Superficial Veins
There are in fact 3 different kinds of veins in the legs. The first are the superficial ones that lie closest to the top of the skin. Then there are the deep set veins, which lie within the muscle group. Finally there are perforating veins that typically connects the superficial veins to the deep veins.
As a matter of fact; the deep veins can withstand very short periods of increased pressure. This also means, more than 90% of the blood back up the legs toward the heart and the remaining 10% is carried by the superficial veins. This is also where the varicose veins occur. Spider veins on the other hand are milder case of varicose veins.
Once our leg muscle pump the blood out of our deep vein, the superficial veins collect more blood from our skin and from the superficial tissues and move it into our deep veins. Then our leg muscles continue to pump this blood up to the heart. Although this system works pretty well in most of the cases however there are many things that may go wrong.
Some of the situations that may cause the vein pumps to work less efficiently occur when -
When blood begins to pool in the veins instead of moving upward it leads to numerous problems. Some people develop visible signs of vein disease such as varicose veins, spider veins and often sores called ulcers on the legs.
Symptoms of varicose veins
In most of the cases people experience discomfort in their legs such as pain, tiredness, aching, and heaviness cramping and swelling. Common symptoms may include:
Prevention of varicose veins & spider veins
Some tips and techniques that may help in preventing varicose veins include -
How the varicose veins are diagnosed?
Diagnosis of spider veins or varicose veins includes a physical examination. It will also include asking about specific questions such as family history of spider veins, duration, presence of any symptoms etc.
How are they treated?
Fortunately, 2 effective methods can be safely applied for spider vein treatment - Laser and the Sclerotherapy.
Sclerotherapy – In this particular treatment procedure, your doctor will be injecting the veins with some medicated solution. This will help the veins to close and also cause blood to flow through other veins. Simply put; once the solution is injected it makes the blood to clot inside the vein. This makes the interior walls of the veins to stick together. Over time, the body absorbs the vein naturally. Worry not; the process is absolutely painless and can be used on spider veins on different areas of the body.
Within a few weeks the treated veins fade. This treatment is pretty effective when done well and in an apt way
Laser surgery - Laser surgery on the other hand works well. With lasers the doctor will send strong lights right into the spider veins. This will make the vein fade and then gradually disappear.
Questions to ask before going for Spider Vein treatment
Stay well!
Varicose veins are basically the swollen and raised blood vessels that twist and turn. Mostly they develop in the legs and can be perceived through the skin.
Spider veins on the other hand are smaller, purple, red and blue vessels that turn and twist. The spider veins are typically visible on leg and face.
For understanding varicose veins and why do you have them, it is crucial to have a rather general understanding of how exactly the venous and the arterial blood system works. Our blood system is made of three distinct types of blood vessels –
- The arteries
- The capillaries
- The veins
Medically speaking; the arteries carry oxygenated blood away from your heart towards extremities of your body. On the other hand; the capillaries are the small vessels, which enable the exchange of nutrients and oxygen with the rest of your body. The veins are the vessels that help in carrying the blood back to the heart.
But before we delve any further let us now talk about the Deep and Superficial Veins
There are in fact 3 different kinds of veins in the legs. The first are the superficial ones that lie closest to the top of the skin. Then there are the deep set veins, which lie within the muscle group. Finally there are perforating veins that typically connects the superficial veins to the deep veins.
As a matter of fact; the deep veins can withstand very short periods of increased pressure. This also means, more than 90% of the blood back up the legs toward the heart and the remaining 10% is carried by the superficial veins. This is also where the varicose veins occur. Spider veins on the other hand are milder case of varicose veins.
Once our leg muscle pump the blood out of our deep vein, the superficial veins collect more blood from our skin and from the superficial tissues and move it into our deep veins. Then our leg muscles continue to pump this blood up to the heart. Although this system works pretty well in most of the cases however there are many things that may go wrong.
Some of the situations that may cause the vein pumps to work less efficiently occur when -
- The vein stretches out pulling the one way valves apart. Although this is typically a hereditary condition however it can be also brought by factors such as certain medication, pregnancy and aging. When the valves don’t work then blood is allowed to move backward through the veins. This backward flow is medically termed as ‘Reflux.’ When reflux occurs in the veins then blood starts to pool in the veins in our lower legs.
- The one way valves become damaged owing to trauma or due to the presence of blood clots and for other factors. This also allows the blood to flow backward or reflux. Yes; this may also lead to blood pooling in the lower legs.
- Blood clot develops in a deep vein while making it further difficult to move past it and thus damage the vein valve. These further results in blood pooling in the veins.
When blood begins to pool in the veins instead of moving upward it leads to numerous problems. Some people develop visible signs of vein disease such as varicose veins, spider veins and often sores called ulcers on the legs.
Symptoms of varicose veins
In most of the cases people experience discomfort in their legs such as pain, tiredness, aching, and heaviness cramping and swelling. Common symptoms may include:
- Aching
- Skin rashes
- Brownish ‘stains’ on the skin surface
- Blood clots within the veins (thrombophlebitis)
Prevention of varicose veins & spider veins
Some tips and techniques that may help in preventing varicose veins include -
- Wearing support stockings
- Controlling weight
- Exercising regularly
- Avoiding high heels
How the varicose veins are diagnosed?
Diagnosis of spider veins or varicose veins includes a physical examination. It will also include asking about specific questions such as family history of spider veins, duration, presence of any symptoms etc.
How are they treated?
Fortunately, 2 effective methods can be safely applied for spider vein treatment - Laser and the Sclerotherapy.
Sclerotherapy – In this particular treatment procedure, your doctor will be injecting the veins with some medicated solution. This will help the veins to close and also cause blood to flow through other veins. Simply put; once the solution is injected it makes the blood to clot inside the vein. This makes the interior walls of the veins to stick together. Over time, the body absorbs the vein naturally. Worry not; the process is absolutely painless and can be used on spider veins on different areas of the body.
Within a few weeks the treated veins fade. This treatment is pretty effective when done well and in an apt way
Laser surgery - Laser surgery on the other hand works well. With lasers the doctor will send strong lights right into the spider veins. This will make the vein fade and then gradually disappear.
Questions to ask before going for Spider Vein treatment
- Which is the best treatment for me?
- What is the cost of the procedure?
- How long does it take?
- What is the pain management or the anesthesia options available?
- What should I expect after the procedure?
Stay well!
