What are they?
Veins are vessels that help to return blood from the rest of the body to the heart. Varicose veins, also known as spider veins, are veins that bulge because blood is not flowing properly. These veins fill with blood and are visible and palpable. The larger variety affects the thighs and legs, while the smaller variety can appear anywhere on the body, usually the legs, ankles, feet and face. It can be seen on the skin’s surface and resembles a spider’s web. Medically they are known as telangiectasias.
Causes
The causes are not all fully understood but the problems generally involve the veins, the walls of veins or the blood constituents.
Veins have valves, which promote the flow of blood back to the heart and prevent blood from flowing in the wrong direction. When these valves become weak or malfunction, blood cannot be returned to the heart efficiently. Similarly if venous walls become weakened for whatever reason, pooling of blood occurs because it cannot flow properly.
Veins can also become inflamed (phlebitis), and this leads to narrowing of the vein, impairing blood flow. This may occur as a result of an infection or trauma. Blood clots are also responsible for obstructing venous flow, and may be caused by damage to the vessel wall, impairment of blood flow or an irregularity in blood constituents.
Who is at risk?
Given the various causes of this condition it is now easy to see who is at risk. Having a positive family history or being elderly increases the risk. Other factors include a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, prolonged standing, as well as pregnancy.
Symptoms
Symptoms will depend on how big the veins are and which part of the body is involved. These include aching, itching, cramping, swelling and fatigue. Some people may even get bleeding and ulceration, but this is not common. More often than not people will present to the doctor because of the appearance of these veins rather than the physical symptoms.
Treatment
There are many different types of management available for this condition. Treatment will depend on the cause, symptoms, extent of involvement, and how big these veins are. Compression stockings literally compress the veins so it will help return blood to the heart. They do tend to be a bit uncomfortable when worn for a long time and they do stretch after a few washes, therefore they will need to be replaced regularly. Elevating the leg while sleeping or sitting down will also help in this regard.
Sclerotherapy is a more invasive method and involves the injection of a liquid into the vein. Together with laser therapy it is helpful in getting rid of smaller spider veins. Laser therapy essentially destroys the blood vessels that are present on the surface of the skin. For the larger veins there is the option of surgery.
It is important to remember that not all conditions require treatment. The majority of these veins are not harmful and it just poses a cosmetic problem more than anything else.
