Whether you have varicose veins or not, in this article we will present some facts about them that you didn’t know before. You may find them interesting enough that you’ll want to share them with your friends. Your friends will be interested, too, because according to statistics if they’re over the age of 55 there is a higher probability that they have varicose veins than they don’t. After that age, your chances of developing varicose veins is about 50/50.
The scariest fact about varicose veins
No, it’s not their prevalence, although those statistics are shocking. It’s that most of the people who have varicose veins don’t take them seriously, and realize that they are the symptoms of a very real disease that could tremendously impact their lives. Every day in our practice as providers of vein disease treatment in Texas we meet patients who feel that can “live with” their varicose veins, because after all they’re just a “cosmetic” concern. They’re resigned to hiding their swollen and discolored veins beneath long pants and dark stockings, and feel that they don’t have to seek treatment for them because the only impact they have on their lives is their unattractiveness.
It’s not true. Left untreated, varicose veins don’t stay the same or get better – they get worse. Some of the complications you have to look forward to if you’re avoiding having your varicose veins treated are chronically swollen legs and ankles, pain that can become so intense that you can’t walk, and changes to the texture of the skin on your legs that develop into open, bleeding sores that will not heal.
Varicose veins also impact your overall health
As if the complications of varicose veins we just mentioned aren’t bad enough, even worse complications develop as a result of the disease that causes them, chronic venous insufficiency, or CVI. A vascular doctor Flower Mound says this condition causes damage to the tiny valves that control blood flow through the veins, and causes deoxygenated blood to flow back into the veins and pool there. This is what causes varicose veins to become enlarged and discolored. But it also causes a number of other, more serious problems.
CVI is a serious disorder of the circulatory system, one that restricts and reduces proper blood flow to your heart, lungs, and brain. This circulatory system disorder “echoes” throughout the body and causes a cascade of other impairments. One of the most serious is to your immune system, which becomes weaker and thus less able to fight off disease. As a result, having untreated varicose veins significantly increases your risk of becoming obese and of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Finally, the good facts you’ll want to share
Although the previous facts we’ve shared with you are and should be a little frightening, the good news is that you don’t have to think of varicose veins as something you have to “live with.” Varicose veins can be permanently removed, in about an hour, using minimally-invasive techniques so painless that they don’t even require anesthesia. You can literally walk into our offices with varicose veins and walk out without them in about an hour. Within a few weeks, all traces of them will disappear, as will the possibility of developing the complications we spoke of earlier.
Another bit of good news is that if you don’t have varicose veins, they can to some extent be prevented by identifying your risk factors for them and reducing them. Your Flower Mound vein specialist can offer advice on diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes that can significantly reduce your chances of developing varicose veins in the future.
So share this article with your friends, and pay attention to it yourself. If you already have varicose veins, the most important thing you can do to reduce their impact on your overall health is to have them treated. If you don’t have them yet, the most important thing you can do is to begin to take steps to reduce your risk of developing them. Dr. Robert A. Handley and his caring associates at Flower Mound Vein Center can help you and your friends to accomplish both these goals. All it takes is a phone call to 972-410-5757 to schedule an appointment for an initial consultation.
