The veins that span the length of your entire body are often something we take for granted. They do their job day in and day out, and it’s pretty easy not to give them a second thought. However, when those telltale blue lines start to creep up from under your skin, then it becomes a problem.
Varicose veins are more than aesthetic blemishes – they can mean serious health problems down the line that may require varicose vein treatment. The average adult is estimated to have over 100,000 miles of blood vessels throughout their entire body, and all it takes is one of them getting stopped up to do severe damage. Preventing varicose veins in the first place will save a lot of time, money, and trouble down the line.
What are Varicose Veins?
To understand how to prevent and fix vascular problems, first, you need to understand what the problem is. For the sake of visualization, let’s imagine your veins as garden hoses. When working normally, the water inside can flow from the spigot to the end with no problems. Then, you take the hose and bend it sharply, without kinking it. Now, less water overall can flow through because that sharp turn constricts it. On top of that, the pressure behind that bend builds up quickly, and in extreme cases can cause a bit of backflow. This is when the liquid can’t make the turn because of pressure, so the route of least resistance is to turn around and head backward in the hose.
Now, you have excess pressure and excess liquid stuck in a small part of the hose. If the hose is as elastic and flexible as your veins are, this means that the hose will bubble out instead of bursting. As the problem goes on for longer and longer, that ‘bubble’ will stay the same size or get larger. With all the blood pooling up and stagnating in your veins, this can lead to significant problems down the line, especially if it ever manages to clot up.
Prevention and Care
Thankfully, taking steps to prevent varicose veins from starting in the first place is relatively simple, with just a little bit of forethought. As in the example, it’s just a matter of keeping your venis healthy and protected in the first place. There are two avenues to take care of – physical and dietary.
Physically preventing movement or positions that can cause varicose veins isn’t always achievable, but any bit of mindfulness and correction helps. Physically stagnating poses like sitting or standing in the same position all day are what lets blood pool in the first place. Crossing your legs will pinch those veins that can also contribute significantly. Moving around throughout the day and periodically stretching can reduce that risk dramatically.
On the other end of that spectrum, overextending yourself and moving too much can also do damage. Commonly cited issues include high impact running (like sprinting), wearing high heels, and other injuries like sprains or strains are all risk factors. Take your daily activity in moderation to mitigate as much of that risk as possible. For a physical means of caring for existing varicose veins, compression wear can help greatly!
Then, your consumption habits have a large role to play, as well. No matter how well you take care of yourself physically, what you eat and drink can undermine those benefits quickly. Three major risk factors come into play again; Excessive salt consumption, drinking alcohol, smoking, and obesity. While they don’t directly cause varicose veins, they take a toll on the structure of the vessel walls and can lead to veins weakening and becoming more susceptible. Taking supplements or other home remedies like essential oils can also improve vascular health and prevent them from forming.
Immediate Care
If you already have varicose veins, there exist treatments to remove them. Subdermal treatments focus on closing off those blood pools and reducing the visibility of the resulting spider veins, too. Las Vegas Urgent Care can provide you the procedures and quality healthcare you need to get rid of the problem, now. Schedule your appointment today!
