Across America, how many people do you think have varicose veins?  The current estimate is that nearly 80 million people suffer from venous disease of the lower extremities.  Almost 60% of women will suffer from some venous disease at some point in their life.  If you have a family history of venous disease the percentages jump dramatically up to 90%.  In short, varicose veins and spider veins are very common but the average person doesn’t know too much about them.  Did you know…

1. Varicose veins can impact the young

Age itself is not responsible for any venous disease.  There are plenty of people in older population groups who never suffer from venous disease and plenty of young people in their 20’s and 30’s that have varicose and spider veins.  Chronic venous hypertension has both genetic factors as well as behavioral risk factors.  If your parents or family suffer from venous disease it’s far more likely that you will than someone who’s parents do not.  Additionally, there are behavioral risk factors such as prolonged sitting or standing, pregnancy, heavy lifting, trauma, weight, sedentary lifestyles, etc.  While varicose and spider veins are more likely to occur later in life, age is not the defining cause of venous disease.

2. Compression stockings only treat the symptoms

Compression stockings are useful for a couple of areas.  The first is that they can keep varicose veins from worsening.  While they can’t reverse varicose or spider veins they can slow their deterioration.  The second is that they can dramatically help the healing post-treatment.  To actually treat and remedy varicose or spider veins we use treatments such as sclerotherapy, foam sclerotherapy, and laser treatments with an Nd: YAG laser.  The good news is that those treatment methods are almost entirely pain-free, take 30-60 minutes, and have quick recovery times.  Think of it this way, compression stocks like crutches: they can slow further damage to a broken leg, they’re very useful in recovery, but using crutches doesn’t cure the fracture.

3. Varicose veins are very similar to spider veins

The root cause for both varicose and spider veins is called “chronic venous hypertension”.  They are both considered “abnormal” and it you think about the veins as branches on a tree the varicose veins are closer to the trunk and spider veins are out on the edge.  Similarly the main difference between the two is the diameter of the vein.  While they can look quite different, they are extremely similar.  That is why you will also see some overlap in terms of treatment methodologies for both varicose veins and spider veins.  During a consultation we can explain why we are using particular methods for particular veins.

4. Enlarged veins are not always varicose veins

Varicose veins usually have the characteristic of being “tortuous”.  What that means to you is that they are marked by having repeated twists, bends, and turns.  That’s why when you see a “bulging” bicep vein on the person in the gym doing curls it’s not considered an abnormal or varicose vein.  Additionally, if you look at the back of your hands you’ll likely see very prominent – but fairly straight – veins which are perfectly normal.  When you see a varicose vein it can look like a map showing a long winding road.

5. Varicose veins are common in the legs

Varicose veins are most common found on our legs.  That’s not because the veins in our legs are different than the veins in other parts of our body, rather it’s because of our posture.  We stand erect which has a number of consequences.  First, gravity just makes it easier for blood to push it’s way from the heart to the legs.  Second, when we do sit we are often constricting blood flow to and from the legs.  Third, there are some environment factors – such as women wearing high heels – that further increase the pressure on the veins in the legs.  The net result is that the leg veins have the toughest job and therefore are more prone to venous disease.

There are you five facts about varicose veins.  If you have any questions please feel free to call to schedule a free consultation where we can talk about your specific case.