Varicose veins are unsightly, but if you’re a person who doesn’t often show off the areas where the veins are located, you may think that it’s okay to simply let the veins be. What we tell our NY Tri-State area patients at Sutton Place Laser Vein Care is that varicose veins aren’t just something of a blemish cosmetically, but they can be hazardous to a person’s health as well, and it’s always important to have your varicose veins taken care of by a professional.
The first step in understanding how varicose veins can be harmful to your health is getting something of an understanding about varicose veins in general. A varicose vein is formed when the one way valves inside of your veins, the valves that keep your blood pumping towards your heart, begin to weaken and stop working as they should. These damaged valves allow blood to begin pooling or backing up within the vein, causing the vein to then swell and grow closer to the surface of your skin. While varicose veins will most often form in the legs or ankles, they can actually pop up anywhere, and these swollen veins with broken valves can leave those with them in a hazardous situation.
One major cause of varicose veins is pregnancy, and women who have recently had a child may begin seeing varicose veins where they have never had them before. The hormones coursing through a woman’s body while she is with child will cause her veins to dilate, such as estrogen or progesterone, and the added weight of the growing baby on the legs can cause a great deal of pressure on these dilated veins. The dilation, plus the added weight, will then cause varicose veins to form as the valves within the vein begin to grow damaged.
The blood which pools in varicose veins can then lead to blood clots within the body, particularly the painful but not always serious phlebitis. If a clot moves into the deeper portion of the vein, it can cause deep vein thrombosis, and the clot can then move into other organs or systems of the body, such as the lung or heart.
If you want to learn more about the dangers of varicose veins, or the methods that we use to remove your varicose veins once and for all, simply call us at Sutton Place Laser Vein Care today!
