Varicosities develop in men and women when there is consistently increased blood pressure within the vein and near the skin surface. There are valves throughout the body, and one place to find valves is in the leg veins. Blood in the leg veins always moves towards the heart.
Envision a one-way street. Your veins are one-way, sending blood to the heart until the blood circulates back to the legs. These valves open and close, allowing this blood passage to the heart.
These valves prevent blood in the legs to pool or back up. Often these valves weaken or fail to open or close and cause the blood to pool in the vein. This pooling puts pressure on the vein, and the vein starts to stretch out and pop forth, pushing at the skin, creating a knotted, twisted, and swollen appearance of the vein.
Varicosities develop as early as 20-years of age and common during pregnancy. However, varicose veins are more prevalent among the older generation over 40 years of age.
What Causes Varicose Veins?
Varicose veins are caused by:
- High Blood Pressure in the Vein
- Weakened or Failed Valves in the Vein
- Pooling Blood in the Vein
- Obesity
- Excessive Pressure on the Legs
Symptoms of Varicosities
Since everyone is different, you may or may not experience symptoms. If you do experience symptoms, you need to look for the following.
- Visible veins that look dark purple or blue
- Leg veins that look twisted, bulging, swollen, and resembling a cord
- Sometimes the skin is red or inflamed
- Aching, throbbing, burning, and heavy feeling legs
- Muscle cramping
- Symptoms increase when you sit or stand for long periods
- Skin itching at the site of veins
Do You Need Treatment?
You need to seek treatment for varicosities because if you let this go, you can develop other health issues such as blood clots, discoloration of the legs at the site of the veins. This color is shiny and brownish-blue over the vein. If you have been diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency, it is difficult to heal. Also, you can develop ulcers at the site called Venous Statis Ulcers.
You can develop inflammation in the layer of fatty tissue just under the skin surface. This condition can cause pain and skin discoloration. You need to try to increase circulation through specific treatment.
Holistic Remedies for Varicosities
There are countless remedies for varicose veins. Some may work for you and some solutions for varicose veins may not work. There is no overnight home remedy. You must give the treatments time to work. Non-surgical remedies you can try include:
- Adequate hydration
- Lemon water
- Exercise daily
- Avoid constrictive clothing around the legs.
- Wear compressions stockings to help boost circulation.
- Change your lifestyle regarding your diet. Make sure you start to incorporate almonds and pistachio nuts. Avoid salts and high sodium foods, seeds such as China, legumes, oats, wheat, flaxseed, whole-grain, bell pepper, spinach, vegetables, broccoli, citrus fruits, grapes, cherries, apples, blueberries, cocoa, and garlic, chamomile ointment. Check with your doctor first as some medications are contradicted with some herbs.
- Lose weight if indicated.
- Elevate your legs whenever possible.
- Avoid sitting or standing for long periods.
- Avoid crossing legs when sitting
- Try rubbing horse chestnut, sea pines extract, Butcher’s broom extract on legs. Dilute essential oils in a carrier oil before using.
- Gentle massage therapy
- CQ10 supplement
- Omega-3 oils
- Ginkgo Biloba and Vitamin K
Traditional Treatment
If treating your varicose veins non-surgically isn’t working, then it might be time to see your doctor about other treatment options. Some options your doctor might suggest:
- Sclerotherapy – A foam solution is injected into the vein to close it off and seal it
- Laser surgery – Strong bursts of light are used on the veins to make them fade and disappear
- Catheter assisted procedure – A catheter is inserted into the vein, then heats it and destroys the veins causing it to collapse and close off
- Vein stripping – The vein is tied off before it joins a deep vein, and then a small incision is made to remove it.
- Ambulatory phlebectomy – Using a series of punctures, your doctor removes the varicose vein
- Endoscopic perforator vein surgery – Using a scope, the doctor can see the veins and remove them through small incisions.
Final Note
If you suffer from varicose veins, then you should try some at-home remedies to relieve the symptoms. However, if your symptoms persist and become more severe, then you should talk to your doctor about surgical treatment options.