Due to persistent congestion, the vessel walls become more permeable so that proteins, fluid, and blood penetrate into the surrounding tissue. Patients report leg and feet edema, especially in the evening, as well as itchy skin. In older people, the skin thins and is easier to injure.
Untreated, the varices finally reach stage IV. Due to long-lasting congestion, only insufficient amounts oxygen gets into the surrounding tissue. The result ranges from skin ulcers to dying tissue. Proper wound healing, even for minor injuries, is sometimes no longer possible.
How can a person prevent this?
To improve the circulation of the veins on the upper and lower legs or to completely prevent varicose veins, there are several possibilities.
Exercise, ideally in the form of endurance sports
Avoid prolonged standing and sitting
Elevate the legs
Avoid heat
Take cold showers
Eat a high-fiber diet
Stop smoking
Wear compression stockings
Treatment
In several cases, sclerotherapy is a viable option. The injection of sclerosing agents artificially induces inflammation of the venous walls. The subsequent inflammatory reaction leads to a bonding of the vein.
Endo-venous laser therapy (EVLT) also aims to heal the vein treatments. This effect is brought about by a laser probe, which is inserted through a small cut in the leg. By heating the varicose veins, the probe can close and scar them. This type of laser therapy is particularly suitable for unpronounced varicose veins.
When pulling a varicose vein, also called venous stripping, the doctor gets into the vein with a small probe. He or she punctures the vein wall, which is then severed and pulled out. With this method, complete varicose veins, as well as only diseased vessel sections, can be removed.
With only mild varices, the doctor may recommend the CHIVA method, in which the diseased veins are ligated, causing the veins to regress on their own. External valvuloplasty (EPP) aims to repair the venous valves. Under local anesthesia, the doctor sews a polyester cuff around the large vein in the groin area.
The resulting reduced volume of the vein should make the venous valves functional again. To learn more about venous insufficiency and its treatment options, contact a specialist today.