When Varicose Vein Issues Run More than Just Skin Deep

The most common symptom of varicose veins is their unsightly appearance — darkly colored, bulging, knotted structures under the skin’s surface.

But despite their less than desirable aesthetic, the presence of varicose veins can sometimes trigger a more serious vascular or circulatory condition that may run more than just skin deep.

Varicose veins affect approximately 35% of Americans (most often women). They occur when there is a malfunction in the vein, typically in the legs, that prohibits proper circulation and causes blood to pool within the vein structure.

They often lead to swollen, tired, heavy-feeling legs along with painful aches and cramps.

In addition to these common symptoms and the unattractive appearance, VeinSolutions’ board-certified vascular surgeon and vein specialist, Dr. Jeffrey Apple says “the venous insufficiency that causes varicose veins could also potentially lead to something else going wrong in the body that you need to pay close attention to, like DVT, or deep vein thrombosis.”

At VeinSolutions, all of our vein specialists are board-certified vascular surgeons, so they have the knowledge and expertise to diagnose and treat any serious venous disorders beyond just varicose veins.

What are other serious venous disorders associated with varicose veins?

Some of the issues that we see frequently in our varicose vein treatment centers in Austin and Georgetown are:

Superficial thrombophlebitis: occurs when slow blood flow damages the vein and leads to blood clotting and inflammation. Symptoms may include skin redness or localized tenderness and swelling at the affected area. These clots do not travel to the lungs.

Stasis dermatitis: blood build-up that damages small capillaries and forces fluids out of the veins in your lower legs causing surrounding tissues and the skin to become inflamed, irritated, flakey, and reddish-brown, resembling the skin condition eczema.

 Venous stasis ulcers: painful ulcers due to chronic hypertension that causes leaking fluids to break down the skin, these wounds can become very deep and are prone to infection if not treated properly.

Lipodermatosclerosis: thickened and discolored skin, usually on the foot or lower leg, leading to itching and severe inflammation.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT):  DVT can be very serious and occurs when a blood clot develops in a deep leg vein and travels to your lungs, blocking an artery, and in rare cases, resulting in a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.

Dr. Apple says that taking care of your overall venous and circulatory health, along with visiting a board-certified vascular specialist about your varicose veins, can help prevent many of these conditions.

VeinSolutions offers several effective treatment options for both the therapeutic and cosmetic treatment of varicose veins and venous disorders.

To schedule an appointment with one of our board-certified specialists, please visit us here. In Austin, please call 512.452.VEIN (8346), or for Georgetown, contact us at 512.501.4287.

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