Frustrated with Painful and Unsightly Leg Veins

Painful and unsightly leg veins

With the Arizona heat, a summer day, winter day, or any day is ideal for wearing shorts. But for those with varicose veins or spider veins, the thought of wearing shorts is troubling and leads to severe anxiety. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 55% of adult women experience abnormal leg veins as well as 45% of men. If you suffer from varicose veins, you don’t have to resign yourself to living with them if they bother you as there are many ways they can be treated in the office without surgery or painful vein striping.

What are varicose veins? Can varicose veins be prevented? We break it all down for you.

What are varicose veins?

Varicose veins can form when the vein valves that move blood back to the heart weaken and malfunction, resulting in swelling and inflammation. As the valves weaken and no longer keep blood flowing in one direction, the veins become enlarged or stretched due to the abnormal blood flow, blood begins to back up or pool. This often results in bulging, twisted veins with a purple or blue appearance.

Varicose veins most commonly occur in the legs because gravity and other factors make the normal flow of blood returning to the heart more difficult. The lack of circulation and blood pooling means the veins can be painful, make the legs feel heavy or cause a burning, aching, or throbbing sensation.

Why do I have them?

Your genes are the primary factor contributing to your risk for developing varicose veins. When one or both parents have varicose veins, your risk increases. Other contributing factors include pregnancy, obesity, older age, prolonged standing, and physical inactivity.

What do I do about them?

  • Physical activity is a great place to start. When we walk, the contraction of the calf muscle helps circulate blood back to our heart, alleviating the build-up that contributes to varicose veins.
  • Prescription grade compression socks will also aid with the circulation of blood.

When these aren't enough, new procedures to treat varicose veins are producing excellent results:

  • One is the VenaSeal Closure System, which uses medical adhesive and this adhesive is placed in the location along the diseased vein.
  • Another is the ClariVein Device, the device uses Mechanico-Chemical Ablation (MOCA). It provokes natural vein spams to produce closure.
  • Endovenous ablation is a treatment that uses heat or radiofrequency energy to close off a vein that is not functioning properly, redirecting blood flow through other veins.
  • Sclerotherapy uses an injection of a specific chemical to make smaller veins shrink.

Advanced Vein Institute of Arizona

Consult our vein doctor today and discuss timely treatment. If not treated, varicose veins can turn into a chronic condition.

I have spider veins that hurt!

By Jilanne Rose, DNP ANP-BC | May 9, 2019 | Comments Off on I have spider veins that hurt!

Question: I have spider veins on my legs and they really hurt to the touch. Can that be dangerous to my health? Answer: In the large picture, pain associated with spider veins is not life threatening.  It would be worthwhile to have an evaluation by a qualified provider to see if these spider veins are…

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I have had a blood clot before and I am worried.

By Jilanne Rose, DNP ANP-BC | Apr 25, 2019 | Comments Off on I have had a blood clot before and I am worried.
blood clot

I am scheduled for a right leg radiofrequency ablation. I have venous insufficiency in the saphenous vein and have had a blood clot before. Question: In 2006, I underwent an artificial lumbar disk implant. This failed causing artificial disk to move into the spine. While surgeon removed the artificial disk implant, he nicked the liac…

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Sclerotherapy before endovenous laser vein treatment?

By Jilanne Rose, DNP ANP-BC | Apr 21, 2019 | Comments Off on Sclerotherapy before endovenous laser vein treatment?

My doctor said my vein is too large to have sclerotherapy performed first, is this true? Question: I have a few visible spider veins on my lower leg that I want treated with foam sclerotherapy. However, the doctor wants me to do endovenous laser treatment before the sclerotherapy. According to him, my vein is way…

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Same pain, new location

By Jilanne Rose, DNP ANP-BC | Mar 21, 2019 | Comments Off on Same pain, new location
leg pain at night

I’m having the same pain that I had before my ablation procedure, except it is in a different new location. How long will this go on? Question:  It’s been 2 months since my GSV endovenous laser ablation procedure. I have the same pain that I had before the procedure, except it’s in a new location.…

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Circular wound with redness

By Jilanne Rose, DNP ANP-BC | Mar 14, 2019 | Comments Off on Circular wound with redness

I recently had the VNUS procedure done (both legs, multiple veins).  Is it normal to have open, circular wound with redness and slight weepiness? Question: All of the other areas are healing nicely, but the area on my shin (a bit off center) has a much larger wound. It has been quite red in the…

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Compression socks make my legs hurt more, is this normal?

By Jason Babcock, MBA ACRP-CP | Mar 2, 2019 | Comments Off on Compression socks make my legs hurt more, is this normal?

Question: How big of a size do compression stockings come in?  Answer:  Compression socks should be comfortable and supportive. If the stockings are making your symptoms worse, it is likely that they do not fit you correctly.  There are numerous companies that make standard sized compression stockings. Some make 7 to 8 different sizes.  Additionally,…

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Get rid of my varicose veins

By Jason Babcock, MBA ACRP-CP | Feb 12, 2019 | Comments Off on Get rid of my varicose veins
get rid of my veins

Question: WHAT CAN I DO TO GET RID OF MY VARICOSE VEINS? Answer: There are numerous options to treat varicose veins. Some are considered medically necessary, while others are strictly cosmetic. Larger veins are treated in a myriad of ways depending on the provider you consult with and their proficiency in a given intervention. The…

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I injured my varicose vein over my knee, what should I do?

By Jilanne Rose, DNP ANP-BC | Feb 12, 2019 | Comments Off on I injured my varicose vein over my knee, what should I do?
injured varicose vein

Question: I knelt down the other day and injured the large varicose vein over my knee. It bruised quickly and felt very sore, so I put a pressure bandage on it. Since then, the vein bruise has spread and is now about 12″ up my thigh. It is very red, and I’m not sure what…

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What Treatment Options Are Available For My CVI?

By Jilanne Rose, DNP ANP-BC | Jan 15, 2019 | Comments Off on What Treatment Options Are Available For My CVI?
Compression Socks

Question: What treatment options are available for my CVI? I can’t sit or stand in one place and I have heavy, aching legs all of the time. I started to have achy, heavy leg feelings about a month after I sprained my right ankle and scratched my left knee last April. I was diagnosed with…

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Q&A: During my EVLT, I could smell and taste a slight “burning” odor plus I was dizzy during my procedure. Is that normal?

By Jilanne Rose, DNP ANP-BC | Jan 10, 2019 | Comments Off on Q&A: During my EVLT, I could smell and taste a slight “burning” odor plus I was dizzy during my procedure. Is that normal?

Question: During the EVLT laser procedure I really didn’t feel well, especially when the laser was on. I felt dizzy and the smell of “burning” freaked me out. Even after I was done, it took me couple hours to feel normal again. Is that normal? Answer: The “odor” and sometimes a taste is normal during…

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About Jason Babcock, MBA ACRP-CP

Jason is the Practice Administrator and CEO of Advanced Vein Institute of Arizona. Mr. Babcock brings over 30 years of healthcare administration experience to the organization with a strong background in finance, business development, operational improvement and customer service to AVIA.