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EXCLUSIVELY DEVOTED & FOCUSED ON VENOUS DISEASE

Category: Venous Disease

Vein disease occur when some of the veins in your legs malfunction and are unable to transport blood from the legs properly. When this happens, blood in the affected blood vessels may begin to pool, resulting in the formation of varicose, reticular, or spider veins. These vein problems are not very serious, but if left untreated, can cause pain, leg fatigue, cramping, skin discoloration, and restlessness.

How Serious Is Vein Disease? | Vein Specialist in Ventura and Los Angeles

In severe cases, untreated venous conditions can lead to very serious complications such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, bleeding, and ulcers.

To manage the symptoms of venous disorders, and to keep them from escalating into serious complications, it is important that you visit a vein specialist for proper diagnosis and treatment recommendations.

Some of the risk factors of venous disorders include:

  • Family history of varicose veins
  • Overweight
  • Pregnancy
  • Old age
  • Sedentary lifestyle
  • Resistance training

Through a combination of lifestyle changes, at-home care, and minimally invasive in-office treatment, you can treat venous diseases and prevent other venous problems from arising. In-office treatments include laser ablation, radiofrequency ablation, and sclerotherapy, all of which should only be performed by a skilled physician to avoid complications.

These procedures target and destroy the problematic veins, forcing blood to flow through healthy veins. After treatment, it may be necessary to wear compression stockings to help boost blood flow in your legs and to reduce pain. Increasing your level of activity and shedding weight is also helpful.

How soon can you enjoy the results of the procedure?

The results of most minimally invasive treatments are not instant. It will take a while for inflammation to subside, and the final results of sclerotherapy, ablation, or other treatment won’t be apparent until 2-3 months post-treatment. The marks from the injections should resolve in about 6-8 weeks, but the actual time depends on:

  • Your skin type
  • The types of blood vessels treated
  • The strength of the solution used
  • Your genetic disposition to develop hyper pigmentation

During this time, it is important that you follow Dr. Shah’s aftercare instructions strictly to avoid complications. For instance, any bruising occurring after sclerotherapy may take about 5 weeks to resolve, while staining may take up to 12 months to resolve.

Your veins work hard everyday, fighting against gravity to return blood to the heart. But with age, weight gain, a sedentary lifestyle, genetic factors, and prolonged sitting and standing, the veins in your legs can expand, making the valves ineffective in preventing backflow. Let’s discuss the different types of venous diseases.

Types of Venous Diseases

Blood flow in the veins depends on muscle contraction to open the valves so blood can flow forward. When the muscles expand, the valves shut preventing blood from flowing backwards. But when some valves fail to close properly, blood begins to flow backwards – a condition known as reflux.

Types of Venous Diseases

This may in turn cause blood to pool in some veins, resulting in a number of venous diseases with varying symptoms and treatment options. Common vascular diseases include:

1. Varicose Veins and Spider Veins

When blood begins to pool in the main valves, it is redirected to smaller veins that sit closer to the surface of the skin to maintain blood flow. With the increased blood supply, these veins dilate and swell to appear like blue-purple, ropy bulges under the skin – referred to as varicose veins. They usually appear on your legs.

Smaller blood vessels – capillaries – can also be affected, appearing like small red-purple bursts on your thighs, knees, or calves. These are known as spider veins.

Varicose and spider veins are unattractive to look at, but are seldom painful. You may choose to get them removed for aesthetic purposes, or when they begin to cause pain and discomfort.

2. Blood Clots

Expanded veins and damaged valves often cause blood to flow slowly, causing it to pool, stick to the inner walls of the veins, and form clots. The clots in your veins are referred to as venous thromboembolisms, and are usually caused by:

  • Any condition that reduces the blood flow rate or thickens blood, like some tumors or congestive heart failure
  • Damaged veins due to infection or injury
  • Damaged endothelium – vein lining
  • Damaged valves inside the vein
  • Some hormones, including estrogen due to the use of birth control pills or pregnancy
  • Immobility, like due to prolonged bed rest
  • Genetic disorders that make your blood clot
  • Insufficient blood-thinning proteins (anticoagulant)
  • Surgical procedures on your legs and hips

If the clot develops in a vein near the surface of the skin, it is referred to as phlebitis or superficial venous thrombosis.

If the clot forms in a large vein inside the thigh, lower leg, or pelvis, it is referred to as deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

If the clot breaks away from the vein wall and reaches your lungs, it is referred to as pulmonary embolism.

3. Chronic Venous Insufficiency

If no intervention is made to correct deep vein thrombosis (DVT), the prolonged blood pooling can cause your legs to swell and experience pain or pressure. This condition is referred to as chronic venous insufficiency.

You should visit a vein specialist immediately before internal fluids begin to leak into your feet and ankle tissues, which may break down your skin and cause it to wear away and darken.

4. Ulcers

These are the open sores or wounds caused by static blood flow that refuse to heal completely or keep returning. They usually manifest as venous stasis ulcers, which are found deep inside the leg, above the ankle.

When to See a Vein Specialist

Unfortunately, defective veins or venous valves that cause any of these diseases cannot be fixed or replaced. The only fix is removal through minimally invasive procedures, or valve repair for post-thrombotic syndrome.

Please visit the Center for Vein Wellness or schedule a consultation with Dr. Shah to discuss your case and venous disease treatment options.

Venous insufficiency, also known as chronic venous stasis or chronic venous insufficiency, is a circulatory problem where blood flow from the veins of the legs back to the heart is hindered.

Veins rely on muscle contraction and valves to maintain blood flow in one-direction toward the heart. Venous insufficiency arises when the valves in the veins of your leg fail, allowing blood to pool in the legs.

Venous Insufficiency

Causes of Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI)

Venous insufficiency affects about 20% of adults. It can also be caused by deep vein thrombosis – a blood clot that forms in a deep vein in the legs – that causes blockage, or damaged valves due to high blood pressure in the inner leg veins.

Over time, CVI may result in the following symptoms in the legs:

  • Varicose veins
  • Swelling in the ankles
  • Itching
  • Skin sores
  • Cramping
  • Aching or feeling of heaviness
  • Changes in skin color

When the valves fail to facilitate blood flow in the legs against gravity, the blood may not only pool, but also flow in reverse – venous reflux.

Some of the risk factors of valve failure of venous reflux include:

  • Family history of DVT (or blood clots) or varicose veins
  • Vein wall weakness – causing valves to expand so valve closure is not effective
  • Lack of enough physical activity
  • Overweight
  • Pregnancy
  • Swelling of a superficial vein (phlebitis)
  • Muscle weakness, trauma, or leg injury
  • Prolonged standing or sitting – resulting in high blood pressure

Diagnosis and Treatment

When you visit the Center for Vein Wellness, Dr. Shah will work with you to diagnose the source of the problem and develop the most effective treatment plan for your case.

Dr. Shah will perform a health history check and physical examination of your leg veins to access their health. You can expect:

  • Questions about your symptoms and risk factors – like family history, blood clot, leg injury, recent surgery
  • A physical examination of your legs for abnormal veins, tender or swollen areas, and changes in skin color
  • A duplex ultrasound – a noninvasive imaging test that uses sound waves to scan your vein structures and blood flow. It can help to locate the source of a vein problem

Depending on the results of the diagnostic tests, Dr. Shah will devise a personalized treatment plan that involves medical and surgical interventions, as well as recommendations on:

  • Diet and lifestyle
  • Ways to prevent prolonged sitting or standing
  • Structured exercise to strengthen calf muscle action, like walking
  • Elevating your feet above the thighs when sitting and above the heart when lying down 3-4 times to reduce swelling

Compression stockings are also recommended for managing venous insufficiency. These medical stockings are tighter at the ankles than the top of the legs, and help to relieve pain and minimize swelling. They can also help to treat venous skin ulcers.

Urgency of Treatment for Venous Insufficiency

Regardless of the cause, defective valves often cause increased blood pressure in the leg, resulting in venous hypertension – high blood pressure in the vein. This is what causes varicose veins and other symptoms to appear. The sooner you get the condition diagnosed and treated, the sooner you can enjoy your daily activities.