A Flower Mound Vein Specialist Discusses Why People Are Embarrassed to Talk About Their Varicose Veins

As experienced vascular doctors in Flower Mound, naturally, we’ve noticed the extent to which many of our patients go to hide their varicose veins. They tell us that they wear long pants and dark stockings, and manage to come up with a seemingly endless string of excuses to avoid playing sports or going to the beach, and thus having to reveal their legs, because they’re embarrassed by how they look. While this is understandable, one thing that surprises us is that many of these patients seem to be embarrassed to even talk about their varicose veins, even with us, their vein doctors. It’s as if some of these folks have been trying to “live with” their varicose veins by pretending they don’t exist for so long that they feel the need to do so even when talking to a specialist. In this article, we’d like to discuss this reluctance to talk about varicose veins, and bring the subject into the open.

Flower Mound Vein Specialist: Varicose Vein Embarrassment

You’re not alone in having varicose veins First, we know that when you first noticed the swollen and discolored veins in your mirror you felt more than a little unique and isolated. “Why me?” you might have been tempted to think. But you are not alone – 40% of women over 50 have them, and 50% of women over 60. If you’re a man, this feeling of isolation can be even worse, but again it shouldn’t be – after the age of 50, one in every four men have varicose veins. Second, although when you first noticed them you might have felt like screaming “I’m too young to have varicose veins,” believe us: it’s not true. While varicose veins affect primarily older men and women, 1 in 20 women under 24 have them, and they can appear in patients as young as 11 years old. Although aging is a risk factor for varicose veins, it is neither the only risk factor nor the most significant one. Third, one of the other things that erroneously lead people to be embarrassed about their varicose veins is believing that they are “only a cosmetic problem.” They are a cosmetic problem, in the sense that the swollen, discolored veins are unattractive. But they really aren’t only cosmetic, because the swollen veins are the symptoms of a much deeper vein disease that is crippling your circulatory system and impairing your overall health. You wouldn’t be embarrassed if you had a disease such as atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) that impaired blood flow through your arteries and increased your risk of heart attack, right? Then why should you be embarrassed by a vein disease that essentially is having the same impact on your health?

“So why DID I get varicose veins?” Well, it probably wasn’t because of anything you did wrong. Most people inherit their varicose veins from their parents and grandparents. A few “encourage” the “inheritance” by not paying attention to their weight, by smoking, and by not getting enough exercise. But the bottom line is that varicose veins are the surface symptoms of a disease, and diseases don’t afflict those who somehow have done something “wrong” to “deserve” them. They afflict anyone who is unlucky enough to have the wrong combination of age, genetics, weight, lifestyle habits, and levels of physical activity. So from our perspective as specialists offering vein disease treatment in Texas, the question to ask if you have varicose veins is not, “Why me?” The right question to be asking is, “What do I do to get rid of them?”

“OK, what do I do to get rid of my varicose veins?” First, realize that you CAN get rid of them. Modern varicose vein treatments enable you to walk into the office of your Flower Mound vein specialist with varicose vein, have them treated painlessly and non-invasively, and walk out without them – all in about an hour. Varicose vein removal really CAN be that easy. The first step towards achieving this involves picking up your telephone and dialing 972-410-5757 and setting up an appointment with one of the best vein doctors in Texas at Flower Mound Vein Center. When you arrive for your appointment, Dr. Robert A. Handley will examine your condition and explain the different treatment options to you, and help you to select the ones that best suit your personal goals and concerns. Within a very short number of days, you can never have to be embarrassed by varicose veins ever again.