What are Varicose Veins?
Varicose veins are enlarged veins that can be blue, red, or flesh-colored. These occur when your veins become enlarged, dilated, and over-filled with blood, and they are often painful. Varicose veins often look like cords, appear twisted and bulging, and can be swollen and raised above the surface of the skin. Varicose veins often affect the legs, as the veins there are farthest from the heart, and gravity makes it harder for the blood to flow upward. During pregnancy, they can also form around the vagina and buttocks.
Causes of Varicose Veins
Varicose veins occur when veins aren’t functioning properly. Our veins have one-way valves whose purpose is to prevent blood from flowing backward. When the valves fail, blood starts collecting in the veins rather than continuing toward your heart, and the veins enlarge. There are many causes of varicose veins that we should be aware of. General risk factors include age, weight, genetics, hormones, and lifestyle. Elderly adults, obese adults, and sedentary adults are at greater risk for developing varicose veins due to decreased blood flow throughout the circulatory system.
Varicose Vein Treatment—Chicago North Shore & Northwest Suburbs
- Sclerotherapy
- Laser surgery
- Ambulatory phlebectomy
- Endoscopic vein surgery