Don’t Ignore Varicose Veins

Have you noticed tiny, veins spreading out across one or both of your legs? Have they gotten larger, bluer, and more painful over time? Well, these are called varicose veins and they could be more dangerous than they actually look. If you’ve been putting off varicose vein treatment, here are a few tips you should know.

Varicose Veins Are Not Just a Cosmetic Concern

Varicose veins occur when the valves inside of the veins are damaged and/or weakened. These valves have a job to do, and that is to move blood to the heart.  Once they weaken, the blood can back up and pool in the vein. These pools can create painful swelling and aching legs and even more serious side effects. When blood doesn’t flow properly, clots can and may develop. Typically, these clots may not be life-threatening at the moment, but they may be an underlying sign of a more serious problem down the road. These veins may look ugly and cause painful swelling, but you shouldn’t brush them off as a cosmetic issue. Consider varicose vein treatment here at Arizona Vein & Laser Institute to save your future health.

They Can Affect Anyone

Anyone can develop varicose veins, but it tends to be very common in women. More and more men are also becoming at risk too. For example,  If your occupation requires you to stand for long periods of time —such as bartending or nursing—you might be more susceptible to developing these painful and ugly veins. Pregnancy and genetics play a big part in varicose veins, as well. If both of your parents developed them, you will have a 90% chance of suffering from them also.

Here Are A Few Treatment Options

At Arizona Vein & Laser Institute, the effective options available to help reduce, stop, and erase varicose veins are:  Sclerotherapy, ambulatory phlebectomy, and another procedure known as endovenous laser therapy, or EVLT.   EVLT is a laser treatment where a small, hollow needle is placed in the affected vein and the laser is fired directly into the walls of the veins. The energy from the laser then causes the veins to shrink and blood is diverted immediately to other veins. EVLT is a minimally invasive treatment with little discomfort or downtime. EVLT also has the highest success rate at 93 to 98%.

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