Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Pregnancy and Varicose Veins
Pregnancy increases the volume of blood in your body, but it also slows the blood flow from the legs to the pelvis. This change in circulation is designed to support the growing fetus and prepare the body for labor and delivery, however it can produce the unfortunate side effect of enlarged veins in your legs.
You may have also noticed tiny blood vessels near the surface of the skin, especially on your ankles, legs, or face. These are called spider veins because they spread out like tiny tree branches and appear as a network of small red or blue veins.
The good news is that varicose veins tend to improve after you give birth, especially if you didn’t have any before you got pregnant. However, patients with pre-existing vein disease, family history, and multiple pregnancies often notice little or no improvement. These patients should be evaluated by a varicose vein treatment center.
What can I do to prevent varicose veins?
You may be able to prevent, or at least minimize, varicose veins while you’re pregnant if you:
· Exercise daily—the key is to allow the blood in your body to circulate. Don’t stand or sit too long in the same position.
· Stay within the recommended weight range for your stage of pregnancy.
· Elevate your feet and legs to the level of your heart or higher whenever possible.
· Avoid crossing your legs or ankles when sitting. This tends to further slow down the circulation of blood.
An additional and helpful habit is to wear compression stockings during the day. When you wear compression stockings your veins are supported and enable the blood to flow more effectively. The external pressure improves blood flow by compressing refluxing veins and redistributing flow to the healthier parts of your venous system. In doing so, it can help to keep swelling down and reduce the achiness in your legs.
Are varicose veins in pregnancy serious?
Varicose veins may itch or hurt, and they can be cosmetically displeasing, but they’re generally harmless during the pregnancy. It is generally not advisable to receive treatment for varicose veins during pregnancy that involves any incisions or injections; however, notify your OB/GYN or vein specialist NJ for early evaluation. The diagnosis is simple and harmless utilizing ultrasound technology. The same technology used to evaluate the health of your baby during the pregnancy. Vein Treatment, if needed, can usually be postponed until after you have your baby.
What are my options after pregnancy?
Varicose veins often improve within a few months after giving birth, though sometimes it takes even longer.
If your varicose veins persist, become too uncomfortable, or you’re just unhappy with how they look, an evaluation with a vein treatment center is recommended. Make sure you are seeing only the top NJ vein doctor that can help you navigate your treatment options. Vein treatment options should be non-surgical and include only the latest advancements with radiofrequency ablation, sclerotherapy (including Varithena), and Venaseal.
Article Source: https://centralnjveinclinic.weebly.com/blog/pregnancy-and-varicose-veins
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Your Guide to Choose the Best Vein Doctor
- Be certain that your vein doctor is board-certified and “trained” in vascular treatments. So this goes beyond a piece of paper indicating completion of some test , but also informs you that the vein specialist completed a formal residency or fellowship in endovascular treatments.
- Vein evaluation is a must! If you have no symptoms but are concerned about cosmetics, you do not need endovascular treatments. Vein ablation is best suited to manage symptoms of venous insufficiency. Receiving unnecessary treatments is not to your advantage and instead focus should be on cosmetic treatments available including laser or cosmetic sclerotherapy.
- If you are having treatment for venous insufficiency, the most advanced techniques are endovascular ablation, foam sclerotherapy, and venaseal. In some cases, MOCA or mechanochemical ablation can also be considered. Stripping is an older technique and is no longer the preferred or best treatment for underlying vein disease. It has a higher level of complications and is less effective
- Phlebectomy is still very useful for large protruding veins that are not suitable for ablation or sclerotherapy. In fact, treating large protuberant veins with sclerotherapy can lead to longer healing periods with sometimes long lasting cosmetic skin discoloration. Phlebectomy is a fast and efficient tool to eliminate large varicose veins without any large incisions.
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Spider vein treatment centers--Are they all created equal?
- Cosmetic sclerotherapy-- this is generally the preferred treatment by vein doctors for most types of veins. The few exceptions are matted veins (very wispy, small veins in small tight gatherings), facial spider veins and those on the feet. Spider veins on the legs are preferably injected with medical agents such as polidocanol or STS with great effect. The procedure is office based and can take 15 minutes to 1 hour depending on the severity. In some cases, ultrasound or veinlites can assist the vein doctor with targeting all veins. In the initial 2 weeks, the veins may appear reddened and inflammed, but will subsequently begin to fade over the next 4 weeks. Most patients achieve a 50-60% improvement with a single injection and will need two or three sessions for 80% improvement.
- Laser treatment--this is done by either the physician or one of the technicians. It requires directed a focused beam of light on the target veins. It cannot penetrate much beyond the skin, so its mostly reserved for surface spider veins rather than varicose or reticular veins (blue, or green veins often seen next to spider veins and can be referred to as feeder veins). Laser is preferred for the face and feet where the skin texture is not ideal for sclerotherapy injections.
Varicose veins are abnormal swollen veins present both on the surface and beneath the surface of the skin. In contrast, spider veins are smaller, red or purple blood vessels that are <1 mm in diameter and have a web-like appearance. Both conditions can be related to venous insufficiency prompting a visit to Long Island Vein Clinic.
What creates Varicose Veins problems?
The normal function of leg veins is to bring blood back to the heart. With activity, the calf muscles function as a pump, to circulate blood back from the legs toward the heart. The same blood vessels have one-way valves that protect against blood from reversing back due to gravity. If the valves are faulty, this mechanism fails and blood collects in the lower legs resulting in venous insufficiency. This abnormal flow is referred to as reflux and with time builds up pressure in the legs to cause symptoms including abnormal spider and varicose veins.
Who is at risk of Varicose Vein disease?
There are various risk factors associated with varicose veins. These dangers include a family history of varicose veins, obesity, pregnancy, hormonal adjustments at menopause, a job that requires prolonged standing or sitting, and even previous trauma.
What are the symptoms of varicose veins?
The most common symptoms from varicose veins are 1) Leg heaviness 2) leg cramps 3) restless legs 4) fatigue 5) skin eczema 6) skin ulceration (rare) 7) DVT (rare) 8) Leg swelling.
Varicose Vein Therapy:
Some home remedies including witch hazel, horse chestnut extract, and CBD can have a relieving effect. However, they do not reverse the condition.
Compression stockings are the standard of early treatment once the diagnosis is suspected or confirmed by venous ultrasound. The external compression provides circumferential support to the dilated veins and improves blood flow through graded pressure.
Permanent and more effective varicose vein center near me offer vein ablation, sclerotherapy, varithena and venaseal. These treatments are medical in nature and require consultation with a vein specialist to determine necessity. Modern vein treatments are minimally invasive and can be performed in the office without long recovery periods or anesthesia.