Vein Health, Varicose Veins, Spider Veins, Venous Insufficiency

Healthy Veins and Venous Insufficiency

Your veins are vessels that carry blood from your body's tissues to your heart and lungs to pick up more oxygen and get re-circulated through your body. The muscles in your legs aid in this process, contracting to help pump the blood upward. Each vein has tiny valves inside it to keep the blood flowing in the right direction; this one-way traffic keeps blood from flowing backward. However, a malfunction can occur in one or more of these valves, a condition we call venous insufficiency. Venous insufficiency is what causes varicose veins and spider veins.

Varicose Veins

Varicose veins - which afflict 10% to 20% of all adults - are swollen, twisted, blue veins that are close to the surface of the skin. Because valves in these veins are damaged, they hold more blood at higher pressure than normal. This forces fluid into the surrounding tissue, making affected legs swell and feel heavy, tired or achy.

Unsightly and uncomfortable, varicose leg veins can cause swelling in the ankles and feet, as well as itching of the skin. They may occur in almost any part of the leg but are most often seen in the back of the calf or on the inside of the leg between the groin and the ankle. Left untreated, patient symptoms are likely to worsen, with some possibly leading to venous ulceration, a type of wound that forms on the skin.
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Spider Veins

Spider veins are small, thin veins that often look like red, blue, or purple spider webs just beneath the skin's surface. Spider veins are caused by a backup of blood causing a "dead end" vein. Treatment of spider veins is considered cosmetic and, unless another underlying condition is found, is not covered by medical insurance.
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Vein Treatments

Not all venous insufficiency requires treatment. If your doctor recommends treatment, it can range from a conservative, lifestyle-based approach to more advanced methods such as radiofrequency, laser or vein ligation and stripping to close and remove the veins.
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