Types of varicose veins

What are varicose veins?

Varicose veins are lumpy twisted veins that stick out when you are standing up but shrink when you lie down. They affect about 3 in 10 people in Europe but but only 2 in 100 people in Africa. The reason is largely hereditary. Varicose veins are common in pregnancy but in most people, they disappear after delivery of the baby and therefore treatment in pregnancy is not advised.

Thread veins or spider veins

Thread veins or spider veins are very small visible veins in the skin which are not sticking out. As we get older, we all eventually develop these, but they cause no trouble apart from being unsightly. Cosmetic treatment for these is generally effective with tiny injections of micro-sclerotherapy. Laser treatment is less successful, more painful and can leave scars. As we get older new thread veins can develop.

We do not treat facial thread veins.

What causes varicose veins?

The normal way that blood goes upwards to your heart from your foot, is that the muscles of the calf pump the blood upwards when you walk. As the muscle contracts, the blood is forced up and then is held up by valves. Varicose veins develop when these valves break and therefore the blood just yoyos up and down. This increases the pressure in the veins and they start to bulge.

What happens if varicose veins are not treated?

Over a long period of having varicose veins, they can cause discomfort and leg swelling. If symptomatic varicose veins are left untreated, this eventually leads to complications. These complications include developing a very itchy rash near the vein which is called venous eczema; some people develop a very tender vein which is called thrombophlebitis. After a long period the skin can become damaged and turn dark, brown and shiny. If left, this can turn into a break in the skin called an ulcer which is slow and difficult to heal. If a very large vein near the surface gets knocked you may suffer very severe bleeding which only stops by putting the leg up in the air.