It’s very tough to avoid the dark purple or blue-colored swollen and twisted veins. These veins are called varicose veins, which appear near the surface of the skin. You may have them in one or both legs. As a result of varicose veins, you can suffer from swollen, itchy, heavy, and painful legs. Weaker valves, dilated veins, damaged veins, and pooling of blood increase the venous pressure and cause the vein to bulge and twist, resulting in varicose veins.
Some of the popular medical articles, journals, and news websites stated that ‘varicose veins are very common in India and over 30 per cent of adults are suffering from this condition. This condition affects almost 10% - 20% of the total western population, but in India, it is only 5%. Also, women are at higher risk of developing varicose veins by 2 - 4 folds than men.
Further in this article, you will get to know why women should not delay varicose veins surgery, why women are at higher risk of developing varicose veins, and the available treatment methods for varicose veins.
Reasons why women should not delay varicose veins surgery:
Untreated varicose veins can cause some potentially life-threatening complications which can alter the lifestyle of the patient. Regardless of age and gender, anyone diagnosed with varicose veins should not delay their surgical treatment. Here are the reasons why both men and women shouldn’t delay varicose veins surgery.
â—Veins can collapse: Due to the pooling of blood, a lot of pressure gets built in the varicose veins. In such cases, if the affected limb [leg] suffers from any injury or trauma, veins can rupture or collapse and cause bleeding. This condition requires immediate medical attention, or else one can end up losing a lot of blood.
â—Deep vein thrombosis [DVT]: If varicose veins are left untreated for a long time, they can increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis [DVT]. DVT occurs when a blood clot forms in one or more of the deep veins in the body. DVT can cause pain, warmth, and swelling in the calf. In addition, the blood clot can break off and travel to the lungs causing pulmonary embolism [blockage in lungs]. Pulmonary embolism can make it difficult to breathe and increase the heat beat. It can also lead to death, so it is important not to delay the varicose veins treatment.
â—Change in skin color: Increased pressure due to varicose veins can cause leakage of fluid from the veins into the surrounding tissues. As a result of this, one can suffer from inflammation and irritation beneath the surface of the skin. This ultimately leads to scaly and itchy skin. Also, skin discoloration can be noticed around the affected veins. At first, the skin appears red and then progresses to a reddish-brown or tan color. This change in skin color looks embarrassing.
â—Thrombophlebitis: Letting varicose veins untouched or untreated for a long period can cause inflammation, which can lead to the formation of blood clots, and this condition is called thrombophlebitis. As a result of thrombophlebitis, one can suffer from redness, swelling, and warmth in the affected leg.
â—Swelling in the leg: Swelling can occur due to excessive pressure within the veins and the leakage of fluid into the surrounding tissues. Because of swelling, a tight sensation in the skin, or an impression left on the skin after removing socks or shoes. If swelling is severe, your shoes may not fit your legs. If the condition is not treated, swelling can increase and make the skin hard and change the skin color.
â—Varicose ulcers : Varicose ulcers are wounds that are formed due to venous hypertension, leakage of fluid, swelling, inflammation, and decreased oxygenated blood supply under the skin. They can break down or crack open the skin over a period. Varicose ulcers heal slowly. We suggest you not to avoid the treatment for varicose veins because it is better to get treated rather than suffering from some serious complications like varicose ulcers.
â—Chronic venous insufficiency [CVI]: This condition is where the venous wall or the valves fail to work effectively and makes it difficult for the blood to return to the heart from the legs. In simple terms, CVI is the inability of the veins to function optimally or normally. Chronic venous insufficiency can cause serious complications like venous ulcers, varicose eczema [flaky and hard skin], and lipodermatosclerosis [non-reversible hardening and discoloration of the skin].
Varicose veins can be only a cosmetic concern for most women, but they can be a serious and painful medical condition for others. Varicose veins can indicate a higher risk of underlying medical conditions involving the circulatory system.
Symptoms like heavy or tired legs, swollen ankles, change in skin color, and burning or throbbing in legs can be indicators for any of the potential underlying medical conditions. So make sure you get diagnosed by an expert vascular surgeon and undergo the safest surgical intervention.
Why are women more susceptible to varicose veins?
There is no definite answer to what makes women more susceptible to developing varicose veins? A majority of medical professionals and researchers believe that women are at greater risk of varicose veins because of their hormones and bodily structure.
Pregnancy puts a woman at a significant risk of getting varicose veins due to the constant weight of the developing fetus. The weight of the fetus and excess volume of blood in pregnant women adds stress to veins, which causes them to swell and makes the valves weak or damaged.
Additionally, female hormones like estrogen and progesterone can make the leg muscles relax. And so, the direction of the blood flow in the legs gets impacted and leads to pooling. Ultimately, this pooling and damaged or weakened valves increase the pressure in veins and result in varicose veins.
The best surgical procedures for women with varicose veins
Sooner or later, varicose veins treatment is sure to require surgical intervention. Resorting to home remedies and compression stockings alone can surely manage the symptoms from getting worse but will not provide permanent cure to varicose veins.
Undergoing the surgical procedure can improve the quality of life and change the appearance of the affected leg. Because of this, many women find surgical procedures as the best way to get rid of varicose veins. Here are some of the best surgical procedures for curing varicose veins in women.
â—Radiofrequency ablation [RFA]: Radiofrequency energy is used to heat and damage the varicose vein wall. This method is used to treat large varicose veins.
â—Vein ligation and stripping: Vein ligation and stripping is one of the best procedures used to remove the entire damaged vein. In this procedure, two incisions are made, one at the top of the leg just below the groin and one behind the knee or at the ankle.
â—Endoscopic vein surgery: This procedure is recommended only when other surgical techniques fail to cure varicose veins. This technique involves the insertion of a thin camera into the leg to visualize and close varicose veins. Through small incisions made on the leg, varicose veins are removed.
â—Sclerotherapy: Sclerotherapy is one of the most effective procedures used to cure varicose veins. This procedure involves injecting a solution directly into the vein. The solution causes the vein to scar, and varicose veins get faded off in a few weeks.
â—Phlebectomy: Several small cuts [a few millimeters wide] are made along the affected vein in this procedure. Then, a small hook is used to pull the affected veins out of these cuts. This technique is widely used to treat small varicose veins.
Take away: Both men and women can develop varicose veins because of several reasons. But women are at higher risk of getting varicose veins due to the function of female hormones and the anatomy of the body during pregnancy.
Delaying the varicose veins surgical procedure is not a good idea, especially if you plan to get pregnant. The bodies of women are designed to endure the responsibility of nurturing another life and hence it is extremely important for them to make sure that they are in the best of their health. If recommended by the doctor, delaying surgical treatment is not a good decision for anyone, but the repercussions could be riskier in case of women. Also, untreated varicose veins can cause life-threatening health concerns that can affect the pregnancy or harm the fetus in the womb. So, we advise you to undergo varicose veins surgery as soon as you are diagnosed with the condition.