Summer is upon us and with it the desire to show beautiful and fit legs returns. Not everyone, however, has this possibility. The heat, in fact, favors a rather annoying disorder, the chronic venous insufficiency of the lower limbs and its manifestations, one of which, the most common, are the “varicose veins”.

The varicose veins (or varicose veins) are tortuosity, dilations evident on the course of the main superficial veins of the leg. They represent a very common and widespread pathological condition, especially in industrialized countries. They affect women more frequently, and up to one in two people over fifty years of age.

Their appearance seems to be favored by several factors: genetic predisposition, pregnancy, hormonal factors, but also incorrect nutrition, excess weight, sedentary lifestyle and smoking. At Veincenter you can have the best deal.

Varicose vein Isolated on white background

So what are the good rules for prevention, first of all, and then for the management and treatment of varicose veins?

• The first precautionary measure to adopt, useful for the whole population, indispensable for those who are familiar, is the correct lifestyle.
• Follow an adequate diet, such as the Mediterranean-type diet, which provides the right nutrients without increasing weight. Cut down on alcohol-based drinks. Stop smoking. Remember to do physical activity, even a simple daily walk. All this can make a difference!
• Even dressing appropriately can help. Those suffering from chronic venous insufficiency must in fact avoid the use of constricting clothing that wraps and tightens the abdomen and legs, as well as shoes that are too tight or with too high heels.

If work or study force you to remain seated for a long time, you must make an effort to get up at regular intervals and take a few steps, in order to reactivate the venous return. If, on the other hand, you are forced to stand for a long time, the important thing is to avoid immobility, even just by making small movements and movements of the legs.

Sleeping with the bed raised in the area near the feet, or putting pillows under the feet so that they are in a higher position than the heart, is another useful measure to follow.

Treatments for the cure of varicose veins

Veins that cause lower limb blemishes or that causes pain or other subjective symptoms are certainly amenable to some form of treatment. This is where Phlebology, the branch of medicine that deals with venous diseases, comes into play.

If the appearance of varicose veins is at an early stage, the use of elastic stockings can help a lot. The stockings must be prescribed by an angiologist and bought at the pharmacy; these help blood circulation with graduated compression, which is usually stronger in the ankles and gradually lighter in the calf and thigh. It will be the angiologist, however, to advise and prescribe the most suitable for the case. The Veincenter is the best option here.

There are also corrective methods such as sclerotherapy, surgery and laser treatment

The sclerotherapy, today enhanced by the possibility of injecting the veins under ultrasound guidance and use the “mousse”, can be used for saphenous veins, the side, the small blue veins and capillaries. This is not surgery but injections into the veins that make them ‘reabsorb’ and transform into closed ducts. The procedure, performed in the doctor’s office, is usually not painful, however more sessions may be necessary and the possible recanalization of the treated vessels that is accompanied by the reappearance of the varicose vein cannot be excluded.

In the case of laser treatment, the procedure instead consists in “launching” a beam of light on the vein in order to coagulate it and make it dissolve. However, the laser is only used for the treatment of some types of telangiectasias. Its use can be combined with sclerotherapy, but multiple sessions are still required. Especially the smallest and finest capillaries are treated with the laser. The best results are obtained on the capillaries of the face (cuperose) where the skin is thinnest.

The surgery is usually used for the treatment of large varicose veins. Surgical techniques include ligation (with section of the vein), stripping (removal of a long segment of vein by extracting it with special instruments) and outpatient phlebectomy (removal of segments of vein, even of considerable length, through very small incisions). Surgery can be performed with local, spinal or general anesthesia techniques. Most patients return home the same day as the surgery.

What results can be expected?

With the diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities available today, telangiectasias and varicose veins can be treated at a previously unthinkable level of efficacy and safety.

However, regardless of what type of treatment is used, success depends in part on the careful and accurate assessment of the problem by an experienced phlebologist.

The visit will be able to answer your questions: he will be able to evaluate your condition, advise you on the most appropriate diagnostic investigations and discuss with you what type of treatment to adopt.