The presence of varicose veins indicates you may have a serious underlying vein disease
If you’re asking, “when should you worry about varicose veins,” there’s a strong chance you already have varicose veins. In case you’re not aware, varicose veins are dense blood vessels that bulge out of your skin’s surface, looking like a mass of twisted, tangled, and knotted ropes. Varicose veins look hideous, and most people seek treatment for cosmetic reasons, but they can also be dangerous. If you have varicose veins, you should consult a reliable vein doctor or vein center in Long Island as soon as possible.
Varicose veins aren’t merely cosmetic — they’re indicative of a dangerous underlying circulatory disorder known as chronic venous insufficiency. Healthy veins contain valves that act as one-way doors, ensuring smooth blood circulation to the heart against the force of gravity. When your vein valves collapse, blood flows backward and accumulates in the leg veins, eventually leading to spider veins and bulging varicose veins. Chronic venous insufficiency is the root cause of most vein problems.
If you have varicose veins, that means you probably also have underlying vein disease. You don’t need to be alarmed because varicose veins aren’t an emergency, but you should consult reliable vein doctors to explore your minimally invasive vein treatments. If you don’t seek varicose vein treatments promptly, the underlying vein disease may continue worsening, eventually leading to long-term complications, such as skin ulcers and deep vein thrombosis. If you have varicose veins, please schedule an appointment at our vein centers in Long Island.
Below, we describe the signs and symptoms indicating you may have vein disease and need to consult board-certified vein doctors in Long Island.
Look for the early signs and symptoms of vein disease — leg pain, muscle cramps, restless leg syndrome, and more
Chronic venous insufficiency is an extremely common condition, but it’s also incredibly underdiagnosed. Most people only seek treatment when they notice spider veins, varicose veins, or experience other major complications of vein disease. That’s because the early signs and symptoms of vein disease are extremely mild and benign, and they’re easily misattributed to signs of aging or exhaustion. You should look out for the early signs of vein disease and contact vein doctors as early as possible.
At its initial stages, chronic venous insufficiency may lead to the following signs and symptoms — leg pain, leg heaviness, leg swelling, frequent muscle cramps in the legs, restless leg syndrome, and spider veins. Some of these symptoms can also be caused by other conditions, but if you notice several of these symptoms, there’s a strong chance you have chronic venous insufficiency. A tell-tale sign that these symptoms are indeed caused by vein disease — the symptoms worsen at the end of the day or after long periods of sitting or standing.
If you identify the aforementioned signs and symptoms of vein disease, with or without varicose veins, please contact your nearest vein center in Long Island.
Inform your vein doctor if you notice spider veins, reticular veins, or bulging varicose veins
Spider veins, reticular veins, and varicose veins are the most visible signs of chronic venous insufficiency. Spider veins are dense but extremely thin clusters of blood vessels visible just underneath the skin’s surface — they don’t bulge outwards. Reticular veins are larger than spider veins, but they don’t protrude outwards. Varicose veins are thick ropes of tangled, twisted, and knotted blood vessels that protrude out of the skin’s surface. Each of these conditions indicates the possibility of underlying vein disease, but varicose veins are also inherently dangerous.
Spider veins and reticular veins indicate that you may have a dangerous vein disease, but they’re not inherently dangerous. That’s why most people believe spider veins are purely cosmetic. But varicose veins are also inherently dangerous. As blood continues accumulating in the leg veins, the vein walls will continue expanding and dilating outwards, eventually leading to protruding varicose veins. If you don’t seek prompt treatment, the varicose veins may eventually burst, leading to profuse bleeding for which you have to be taken to an emergency room.
As such, the presence of varicose veins is enough to indicate you need a visit to a vein doctor, but you should even contact vein doctors if you have spider veins and reticular veins.
Signs of skin ulcers, deep vein thrombosis, and blood clots should never be ignored
If left untreated, chronic venous insufficiency will continue worsening, eventually leading to advanced complications. You should definitely contact vein doctors if your varicose veins are accompanied by the advanced complications of venous insufficiency, such as skin ulcers, skin discoloration, and blood clots in leg veins (deep vein thrombosis). If the blood clots in your leg veins break away, they may travel to the lungs, inducing a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism. As such, you must contact a vein doctor immediately.
The risk of deep vein thrombosis is fairly low, but it can’t be ruled out entirely. That’s why you must contact reliable vein doctors if your varicose veins are accompanied by these signs.
Expect a thorough consultation and physical examination with you visit your vein doctor
Our state-of-the-art vein centers in Long Island specialize in minimally invasive spider vein and varicose vein treatments that address the root cause of your problem. Our vein doctors will examine your leg veins, determine if you have chronic venous insufficiency, and recommend the ideal minimally invasive procedures, such as radiofrequency ablation, laser ablation, venaseal, clarivein, and sclerotherapy. If you have varicose veins or spider veins, please schedule an appointment to explore your vein treatment options.