According to the latest report by the American Society for Vascular Surgery, approximately forty million men and women have varicose veins in the United States, all needing some form of varicose vein treatment. This number has risen sharply in the past few years, in part because more people are becoming aware of how important it is to be screened for varicose vein treatment. In particular, men are becoming increasingly aware that they too can have varicose veins and it’s becoming more socially acceptable for them to be screened for this disease.
The earlier you catch varicose veins, and the earlier you receive varicose vein treatment, the higher the chance you’ll have of preventing this disease from progressing to the later stages (4 and 5), where your skin really starts to break down and you get hard to heal leg ulcers. This is so important because varicose veins can seriously impact your quality of life at the later stages of the disease.
Here is a list of those who should be sure to get screened for varicose vein treatment.
1. Those With Obvious Varicose Veins
If you or a loved one has bulging blue or red veins, especially on your legs or feet, you most likely have varicose veins. You should go to a clinic that specializes in varicose vein treatment and have a specialist examine your veins to determine what type of treatment(s) would work best. There are many out patient options, including sclerotherapy, EVLT/ELT (laser treatment, radio frequency, ClariVein, and ambulatory phlebectomy. Treating your varicose veins early can prevent other varicose veins from forming and can keep the condition (and the troublesome symptoms) from getting worse.
2. Those Who have “Odd Looking” Veins
You should know that not all varicose veins bulge out or even look “gnarly.” In many cases, varicose veins are much more subtle looking. You may see blue veins under the skin that just look a bit odd, or perhaps you have noticed a change in how your veins look. It’s always best to be safe rather than sorry and get any “odd” looking veins checked for abnormalities. Remember too, these odd looking surface veins may be indicating something much more serious a bit deeper down.
3. Anyone Who Has Symptoms But No Visible Varicose Veins
Believe it or not, sometimes people with varicose veins (chronic venous insufficiency) don’t actually show any signs of varicose veins through their skin. However, they often have one or more of the other telltale symptoms of varicose vein disease (venous reflux, CVI). These include edema (swelling due to fluids), pain, aches, cramps, stinging, itching, and restless leg syndrome.
4. Those With a Family History of Varicose Veins
Genetics is by far the most important risk factor in developing varicose veins at some point in your life. More than half of all people who receive clinical varicose vein treatment have a family history of varicose veins. In fact, if one of your parents have varicose veins, this stat jumps to sixty percent! If both of your parents have varicose veins, then your chance of getting them are about ninety percent!
5. Women Who Have Been Pregnant
Women who are pregnant not only carry extra weight, increasing the odds of developing varicose veins, they also carry about fifty percent more blood volume to feed the growing fetus! This puts a lot of extra pressure on mom’s vein valves and vein walls. Therefore, many women develop varicose veins after pregnancy. The risk of varicose veins goes up even more with each subsequent pregnancy.
During pregnancy, wearing supportive apparel like supportive apparel, like compression socks or stockings or stockings may help lessen leg swelling. Compression stockings gently squeeze the legs to help encourage blood circulation and provide support. If you’re pregnant and suffering from a bad case of leg swelling, ask your doctor about wearing compression socks or stockings.
6. Men and Women Over Forty To Fifty Years Old
As you get older, your chance of needing varicose vein treatment increases substantially. This is simply due to the hands of time as veins, just like other body parts, get worn out over time! More than fifty percent of men and women over fifty years old have varicose veins and need varicose vein treatment.
7. Men and Women Who are Overweight or Obese
The Centers For Disease and Prevention (CDC) defines being overweight as having a body mass index (BMI) of twenty-five to just under thirty. Obesity is defined as having a BMI or thirty or greater. Statistics show that overweight people have a fifty percent higher risk of developing varicose veins, all other factors being equal. The stats gets much worse if you are obese…. if you have a BMI of thirty or greater, you’ll have THREE times more chance of developing varicose veins.
8. Anyone Suffering From a Leg Injury
Let’s say you and your weekend warriors are playing a hard fought game of football and you injure your leg. You get a nasty bruise that then turns all shades of brown, red, purple, and yellow before it finally fades. You may have ruptured a vein wall and that vein may become varicosed as a result. With this type of injury, it is important to go to a varicose vein treatment center and have a doppler ultrasound performed on your leg in this area to make sure you catch any problems before they become worse and you develop a varicose vein.
Get a Free Vein Screening at Metro Vein Centers
Yes, you read that right… a vein screening at Metro Vein Centers is FREE. Just give them a call to set it up. Further, you’ll be in very good hands as they have one of the best reputations in the varicose vein treatment business.
