What are the Symptoms of Varicose Veins?

Although varicose veins, which are one of the circulatory system disorders, differ in terms of the causes for their occurrence, their adverse effects are usually similar. From past to present, varicose veins, which have spread due to various reasons, especially the gene transfer, have been mostly causing "varicose symptoms" or "varicose symptoms."

Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlker Kiriş has been providing services in the field of varicose veins in Izmir, offering suggestions and treatment methods aimed at eliminating the aesthetic issues caused by varicose veins.

What are the Symptoms Caused by Varicose Veins?

Varicose veins cause complaints that vary widely from person to person. These complaints significantly affect the patients' quality of life and psychological situation.

Patients consult to a physician due to following complaints;

Legs feeling heavy and tired,
Itching on the skin,
Night cramps,
Swollen and aching legs.

While the complaints are minimal in the morning hours, they increase, especially when standing for a long time and towards the evening. It decreases by raising the legs or exercising.

Varicose veins are mainly the thin capillary varicose veins. These thin varicose veins generally create discomfort in terms of aesthetics. Besides, they might cause a burning sensation and pain in the region where they are located. Varicose veins in the classical sense and thicker than 2 millimeters are bulging, twisting, and noticeable on the skin.

Varicose veins usually occur as a result of "venous insufficiency." Venous insufficiency is the "venous reflux" condition, namely, the blood leaking backward in a reverse direction from bottom to up and superficial to deep, which is the normal blood flow direction.

In venous insufficiency, there are initially only thin capillary varicose veins. In the next stage, varicose veins are noticeable on the skin in the classical sense. As the disease progresses, edema and swelling occur in the leg with time. The relevant leg becomes thicker than the other. It moves to the next stage, and dark discoloration occurs below the knee and near the ankle over the years. At this stage, the skin might be thicker, and then it may get prone to get thinner with opening wounds. In the last phase, the injury might occur in the inner part of the ankle.

Unless the varicose veins are treated medically, they might also cause some negative situations in the future. Clots are likely to occur in varicose veins that have been there for many years. In this case, sensitivity, pain, redness, and swelling occur when touching the relevant region. In this case, you should consult a physician immediately. Besides, there may be varicose bleeding usually due to trauma or spontaneously. In this case, high pressure and profuse bleeding are observed. It is required to apply pressure to the relevant region and go to the nearest hospital.

What can be Done to Reduce the Complaints and Symptoms of Varicose Veins?

There are some suggestions about changes in the lifestyle to reduce the complaints and symptoms of varicose veins. If you can change some of your habits, it will be possible to reduce the varicose veins symptoms.

These recommendations are as follows;

Regular exercise; It is advisable to walk for 20-30 minutes, 5-7 days a week. Exercises that activate your calf muscles, such as walking, swimming, or cycling, help reduce your complaints.
Using compression stockings reduces your complaints. If you have complaints such as leg pain, swelling, heaviness, you will feel better at the end of the day you wear compression stockings.
Avoid standing or sitting still for a long time. If you have a desk job, it is advisable to walk for at least two minutes per hour. Also, doing a simple exercise 10 times, such as rising on your toes and then pressing your heels on the ground while standing, supports blood flow in the leg veins.
Raising your legs; If you have the opportunity, raise your legs above the heart level for 10-15 minutes, 2-3 times a day. To do this, lie flat on your back and support your legs with pillows you put under your legs, and raise your heart level by 20-30 cm.
Wear high-heeled shoes as rarely as possible. When you wear high-heeled shoes, your foot and calf muscles cannot make the optimum pumping contributions to the blood flow in veins.
Protect your legs from heat. Being in places such as the Turkish bath, sauna, or spa in winter and exposing your legs to sunlight for a long time in summer increase your complaints. When you take a bath, applying cold water from your ankles to your knees will make you comfortable.

Choose loose clothing. Tight belts or tight trousers that tighten the upper part of the leg make the blood flow difficult.

Finally, some medical products in the form of cream and lotion that are allegedly capable of restoring the varicose veins without surgery can exclusively be useable if your physician deems it appropriate and necessary. Because these products, which can directly damage the skin in improper use, should be considered as supportive care for treatment. All individual attempts to reduce or eliminate the symptoms of varicose veins will be short-term solutions. Undoubtedly, you should try varicose vein treatment methods to destroy the varicose veins and restore the non-aesthetic appearance it creates.