Varicose veins mostly affect females, and the pathology is most often localized on the legs. To avoid possible health complications, it is necessary to consult a doctor in time, who can determine the cause of the disease and prescribe appropriate therapy. Only a specialist will give detailed recommendations on how to treat varicose veins on the legs in women, and in this case, independent prescriptions should be abandoned.
Varicose veins may not occur in every woman; certain factors may contribute to its formation. Since there are quite a lot of them, a conditional classification can be introduced. Firstly, varicose veins can occur due to the genetic characteristics of the body, in particular, congenital vascular abnormalities. Secondly, hereditary predisposition to this disease may influence. Thirdly, the cause of varicose veins may lie in the negative influence of external factors, in which case the pathological features are acquired.
Possible provocateurs of the disease include:
Every year the disease becomes “younger”, that is, it affects more and more young people, and today even twenty-year-old girls can have problems with veins. In any case, it is important to establish the true cause of the pathology, so that after its treatment, all efforts can be directed toward preventing relapses.
Female varicose veins are the most common, with only about 30% of patients being men.
The basis of treatment for varicose veins in any patient is medications. Products in the form of tablets have the greatest effect, and ointments, gels and creams for external use will complement the result and reduce the severity of symptoms.
Each medicine has contraindications and side effects, and therefore must be prescribed by the attending physician - a vascular surgeon or phlebologist.
Oral medications for varicose veins can be divided into three types: the first restore healthy blood circulation, the second prevent the development of complications, and the third relieve the symptoms of pathology. The treatment regimen may consist of a combination of the following groups of drugs:
When taking any medication, the dosage and frequency prescribed by your doctor must be followed. Usually, several drugs from different groups are prescribed in short courses to achieve better results. The most popular tablets for varicose veins are presented in the table:
Anticoagulants are prescribed only if there is an immediate risk of blood clots, and the drug is selected by the doctor individually, based on the patient’s characteristics. Antioxidants also have a place only if complications are likely. Vitamin and mineral complexes are selected in each specific case according to indications.
Symptomatic treatment of varicose veins is most conveniently carried out using external pharmaceutical agents from the NSAID group. However, it is not recommended to purchase creams, gels and ointments for pathological varicose veins in cosmetic stores, since such drugs are often intended only for prevention.
Among the cheap but effective drugs is Heparin ointment, which is an anticoagulant. The product helps normalize blood circulation, eliminate swelling and pain. Heparin ointment should be used 2-3 times a day for a week; if necessary, the doctor can extend the treatment course. A more modern anticoagulant is Troxevasin ointment; the instructions for using this product are similar.
To thin the blood and eliminate unpleasant symptoms, Venolife, Lyoton gel and similar products are often used. The drugs must be applied 2-3 times a day in small quantities until swelling, pain and cramps are completely eliminated. The advantage of gels is their non-greasy structure, which allows them to be absorbed faster and not leave greasy marks on clothes.
If you only need to relieve pain with the help of external agents, then you can use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory gels - Diclofenac or Indomethacin. These drugs are rubbed in small quantities into the affected area 2-3 times a day, unless the doctor prescribes a different frequency.
Doctors are not always able to cure varicose veins in women’s legs using conservative therapy; in these cases, they resort to surgery. Today, there are both standard surgical interventions and more modern minimally invasive procedures that have fewer possible complications.
The general list of indications for any intervention for varicose veins is as follows:
However, surgical treatment of varicose veins is not prescribed if the following contraindications are present:
Traditional surgical intervention is called phlebectomy; during the procedure, the vein affected by varicose veins is completely excised, and this applies to both large and small branches. During the operation, small incisions are made, which allows the use of local anesthesia. Through the same small incisions, a crossectomy can be performed, that is, not complete removal, but only ligation of the vein and all its branches along the course of the lesion.
A more modern procedure is sclerotherapy. This is a procedure during which an adhesive substance (sclerosant) is injected into the affected vessel through a small puncture with a syringe, narrowing the lumen of the vein and normalizing blood circulation. There are several methods of sclerotherapy, foam sclerotherapy is considered the most progressive.
If the clinic has the appropriate equipment, you can use laser coagulation or radiofrequency ablation. These procedures aim to seal the diseased vein by converting laser or radio wave energy into heat. To bring the manipulator to the dilated area of the vessel, a small puncture is required.
The main treatment of varicose veins can be supplemented with auxiliary measures aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of basic therapy, relieving symptoms and preventing relapses. Knowing the cause of the disease, the doctor can easily prescribe appropriate methods and procedures.
First of all, all patients are recommended to adjust their diet. After consulting with a nutritionist, you can create a menu for yourself for every day, which will include products useful for normalizing venous circulation. In general, the following principles should be adhered to:
It is also necessary to reconsider your lifestyle, giving preference to active recreation - walking, swimming, cycling, dancing or yoga. Every morning you need to do gymnastics to keep your legs toned and normalize blood circulation. You can do the simplest exercises - rotations and leg swings, “Bicycle”, “Birch” and “Scissors”.
A special place in treatment is occupied by wearing compression garments, which create optimal pressure on the legs and veins, in particular, normalizing blood circulation. There are several classes of compression; the appropriate type of compression knitwear is determined together with the attending physician based on the characteristics of the pathology. It is necessary to purchase compression garments in orthopedic salons.
Traditional medicine has also proven itself to be effective in reducing the severity of symptoms of varicose veins. These recipes cannot be used as the main therapy; in any case, it will consist of medications, but their effect can be supplemented.
The most commonly used herbs and plants are:
You can prepare a tincture from the selected plant or mixture using 2-4 tbsp. l. raw materials in 0.5 liters of medical alcohol and infused in a dark place for two weeks. The strained product can be used as lotions, rubs or compresses left overnight.
You can also make a decoction using the same amount of raw materials and 0.5 liters of boiling water, and keep the mixture on low heat for 5-10 minutes. The composition, filtered and cooled to an acceptable temperature, can be used as a compress, lotion, rubbing, or as an additive to water for foot baths.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to achieve a complete cure for varicose veins without eliminating venous discharges and varicose veins. However, reducing the symptoms associated with stagnation of venous blood in the legs is quite possible with the help of modern therapy. However, the prevalence of varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency sometimes gives rise to a desire to speculate on this problem. Let's look at modern methods of treatment and fooling.
You should not expect the disappearance of varicose veins from these drugs, but there may be lightness in the legs, a decrease in swelling and the disappearance of night cramps.
Despite the high effectiveness promoted by sellers and manufacturers, creams and gels do not bring relief from varicose veins and varicose veins do not disappear from them. At the initial stage of venous insufficiency, phlebologists do not object to the use of these agents, since rubbing them promotes venous outflow, like a light massage, and has a soothing effect on the skin. In advanced forms of venous insufficiency, these creams and ointments can cause dermatitis and allergization, and are therefore very harmful. Gel "Lioton" and other heparinized drugs are used in the development of acute thrombophlebitis and help to subside the inflammatory process, but varicose veins do not disappear from them. Thanks to proper advertising, shamanic products such as “Sophia with leeches” have gained great popularity among the people, but they have no relation to medicines or leeches and one cannot expect any sense from them.
This is outright quackery. When a leech bites, it injects its saliva, rich in the anticoagulation factor (hirudin), into the wound site. The incompetence of our population, which confuses thrombophlebitis with varicose veins, and believes that blood with varicose veins must be “liquefied”, creates the temptation for a number of businessmen to do this “liquefaction” with the help of leeches. The result of this, at best, is prolonged bleeding from the wounds and persistent pigment spots at the bite sites. At worst, dermatitis and trophic ulcers develop. Leech saliva contains many allergenic substances, which, under conditions of chronic venous stagnation, cause immunization and stimulate local inflammatory and allergic reactions. ? advancing dermatitis destroys the skin and worsens the situation. For trophic ulcers, the use of leeches is strictly contraindicated!
The use of special medical compression hosiery has a beneficial effect on venous outflow in case of varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency. By squeezing varicose veins, the elastic stocking accelerates blood flow through the deep and muscular veins and eliminates venous congestion. However, compression treatment does not eliminate the causes of venous insufficiency, so for varicose veins it is used before radical treatment. Compression hosiery simulates the situation as if these veins were removed or “sealed.”
For the prevention and treatment of varicose veins, a correct lifestyle is important. Patients suffering from varicose veins are advised to move a lot, sit and stand less. To relax and improve venous outflow, it is advisable to periodically stretch your legs to chest level and use a special footrest when sitting. If possible, wear compression socks or stockings when working or traveling by transport. Swimming, cycling and exercise equipment, foot massage are very useful. It is not advisable to lift weights upward, but you can lie down. It is advisable to carry out exercises on the treadmill and in the gym in compression stockings.
For many years now, millions of people have been searching for or inventing the elixir of youth. There are legends about such means; many similar inventions have come down to us as fairy tale elements. But what really? Is there a universal cure for all ailments and illnesses, and moreover, so that it works on everyone without exception?
Varicose veins, venous insufficiency, “heavy leg syndrome” - these conditions develop according to the laws of physics and arise as a result of venous stagnation, when blood does not flow efficiently from the legs due to the fact that we move little, wear impractical shoes and simply have “bad” shoes. heredity…
Conducting ultrasound diagnostics at the Phlebology Center strictly complies with the recommendations of the UIP (International Union of Phlebologists). This means that during an initial appointment with a phlebologist, any patient must undergo all the diagnostic procedures necessary to make an accurate diagnosis and select the optimal regimen for the prevention or treatment of varicose veins. The required scope of research includes Doppler ultrasound and, if necessary, duplex angioscanning.
Varicose veins (VD) are manifested by tortuous or nodular expansion of the saphenous veins of the lower extremities. With the gradual expansion of the lumen of the subcutaneous and communication (connecting the superficial and deep venous systems of the lower extremities) veins, valve insufficiency develops (“the valves do not close”). Reverse (pathological) blood flow occurs in the veins of the lower extremities. Later, dystrophic and inflammatory changes in the affected veins and other tissues of the limb occur: chronic venous insufficiency occurs.
They tried to fight varicose veins back in Ancient Egypt: first they cauterized the protruding veins, then they tightly bandaged the legs with linen cloth. In the Middle Ages, the prototypes of modern compression tights appeared - leather stockings with laces. Today there are much more methods for treating this disease.
Various ways and methods of treating varicose veins at home
Varicose eczema, also known as stasis dermatitis, hyperemic eczema is a type of eczema (chronic skin disease) that affects the legs. This type of eczema results in skin changes that occur in the leg as a result of “stagnation” of blood due to insufficient venous outflow.
Varicose veins are a disease of the veins in which they dilate due to stagnation of blood and begin to protrude under the skin. The veins look like knotty, swollen dark purple or blue thick ropes. Varicose veins can affect veins in any part of the body, but more often it affects the veins of the lower extremities and rectum; less often - the veins of the spermatic cord and esophagus.
Varicose veins are a disease that is characterized by an increase in the size of the veins in the legs, as well as a change in their elasticity and shape. People with congenital weakness of the venous walls and insufficiency of the venous valves are susceptible to this disease more often than others. In addition, there are a number of conditions under which there is a high probability of varicose veins, for example: systematic stress on the legs when a person spends most of the time standing, excessive sports activities, as well as compression of the pelvic veins during pregnancy.