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Ultrasound Diagnosis and Advanced Treatments for Varicose and Spider Veins.

 

You realize that your legs are not okay as usual. There’s a roadmap of twisted nerves here and there. Now, you doubt if they are varicose veins.

But what if they are spider veins?

These two vascular disorders affect your body’s blood vessels. Varicose veins can result due to weakening in the blood vessels or from faulty valves. Spider veins affect your body’s smallest blood vessels.

Stats show that varicose veins can affect up to 35% of the American people.

If you are worried about which type of vascular disorder has affected your legs, fret not. You don’t have to jump through hoops to get it diagnosed. Visit the best vein treatment center and let the vein specialist handle it.

In most cases, ultrasound diagnosis is done to locate the accurate issues. This article will talk more about ultrasound diagnosis and advanced treatments for varicose and spider veins.

What are Varicose Veins and Spider Veins?

Varicose veins are large, raised, swollen blood vessels that appear twisted and turned and mostly develop in the legs. You can see them through the skin. Whereas spider veins are smaller in size. They come in various colors, including red, purple, and blue, visible to the naked eye and appear twisted and turned.

These vascular disorders mainly affect your legs. But in some cases, spider veins appear on your face. Rather than pondering the presence of varicose veins and spider veins, cut to the chase by visiting the Center for Vein Wellness and getting it diagnosed properly.

Causes Varicose Veins and Spider Veins

Multiple causes can put you at risk for varicose and spider veins, including

Heredity,

Use of birth control pills,

History of blood clots,

Postmenopausal hormone replacement,

Hormonal influences with regards to pregnancy, puberty, and menopause.

Other causes include trauma or injury to the skin, previous vein surgery, and high exposure to UV rays.

 

The Importance of Ultrasound Diagnostics

The best part about varicose and spider veins diagnosis is that you don’t have to bite the bullet. The procedure is simple and painless. The vein specialist will physically examine your legs or the area with these veins and suggest an ultrasound test.

What is a venous ultrasound?

A venous ultrasound imaging is a noninvasive medical test that helps your doctor diagnose and treat medical conditions. It’s not only a safe and straightforward process but also painless.

What does it do?

It takes pictures of the inside of your body using sound waves. This procedure, also called sonography, involves a small probe called a transducer placed directly on the skin using a gel.

High-frequency sound waves are sent via this probe and the gel into the body. This probe collects the sounds that bounce back. These sound waves are processed via a computer and an image is created.

You may ask, what’s the difference between an X-ray and an ultrasound?

Ultrasound doesn’t use radiation. Instead, it captures images in real-time; it can show the structure and movement of the body’s internal organs.  It can even picture the blood flowing through blood vessels.

Venous ultrasound imaging gives clear pictures of the veins throughout the body.

Here, your doctor may recommend a Doppler ultrasound to diagnose varicose veins precisely.

It’s a unique ultrasound technique that detects moving blood cells or other moving structures and measures their direction and speed.

Doppler ultrasound lets the doctor see and evaluate

  • Narrowing of vessels,
  • Blockages to blood flow,
  • Tumors and congenital vascular malformations,
  • Low or absent of blood flow to various organs

Get the best ultrasound diagnostics at a vein treatment centre in Thousand Oaks.

Benefits of Ultrasound Imaging in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Varicose Veins

It can locate the affected area.

Unlike traditional methods that include physical examination and phlebography, which are less reliable, this method poses high accuracy. In fact, one of the main reasons for using ultrasound imaging is its ability to accurately locate and assess the condition of the affected veins.

Real-time images

Your medical treatments can’t be a shot in the dark. Ultrasound imaging can provide real-time images of your veins. Your health professional can quickly locate the affected veins and measure their size and shape.

Improved accuracy and safety

Ultrasound imaging has greatly improved the accuracy and safety of varicose vein treatment. It effectively directs the needle or laser fiber to the exact location it needs to reach, minimizes the chances of complications, and ensures that the treatment is accurately delivered to the intended area.

Real-time monitoring

It helps real-time monitoring when the patient is undergoing varicose and spider veins treatment. If the varicose veins aren’t responding to the treatment as expected, your health professional can adjust the dosage or technique to ensure the vein is entirely sealed off.

Get accurate ultrasound diagnostics for varicose and spider veins by professional hands at the varicose vein treatment center.

How should a patient prepare for an ultrasound?

If going for an ultrasound, wearing comfortable, loose-fitting clothing is highly recommended. If you are wearing any clothing and jewelry in the area to be examined, remove them.

You may even need to change into a gown for this procedure.

Ultrasound Diagnosis and Advanced Treatments for Varicose and Spider Veins

Wearing compression stockings

This is the initial step for treating varicose and spider veins. Since the compression stockings exert gentle pressure on the legs, it pave the way for a more efficient blood movement by both the veins and leg muscles.

The degree of compression can vary depending on the type and brand of stockings. Also, prescription-strength stockings are available for pharmacies and may be covered by insurance policies.

Lifestyle changes

Are you looking for varicose or spider vein natural treatment or at-home treatment?

Self-care greatly contributes to the healing of these venous disorders. Some changes you can include in your life include

Good skin hygiene: Give your legs the royal spa treatment they deserve. In simple words, keep it clean and healthy.

Shed some pounds: If your weight doesn’t stand at the right number, it’s a problem. Because those extra pounds you are carrying can stress your veins. And your legs carry your whole body weight, right? So, try to get fit.

Standing or sitting in the same place for longer periods without taking a break is a big risk. So, try avoiding it.

Avoid wearing high heels because they are vein villains. Instead, switch to lower heels, which help tone calf muscles and improve blood flow through the veins.

While seated, resting, or sleeping, don’t forget to elevate your legs.

You don’t need a gym for leg day. Simple leg exercises can help your muscles work and improve blood flow.

Avoid crossing your legs at your knees or ankles.

Surgeries or other procedures

If the self-care and lifestyle changes don’t work, it means the varicose veins are severe and need surgical or other procedures to treat them.

Sclerotherapy

It’s a procedure that helps eliminate the pain and discomfort of varicose and spider veins. In some cases, patients use this procedure to improve their appearance.

In the sclerotherapy procedure, a saline solution or foam is injected directly into the vein. This injected chemical irritates and scars the vein’s inside and makes it collapse, thus causing it to disappear in 3 to 6 weeks. For larger veins, it can even take 5 to 6 months to disappear.

This procedure is almost painless. All you can feel are small needle pricks when your doctor injects the solution. Sometimes, you may experience temporary muscle cramping. After the procedure, you must wear medical-grade compression stockings for a few weeks. This procedure even prevents complications such as ulcers or vein bleeding.

Since this procedure is simple and inexpensive, it can be performed in an outpatient setting.

Endovenous laser ablation

It’s a procedure where the doctor inserts a small laser fiber into the vein by making a small cut near the vein and putting in a small catheter.

Then, a device at the catheter’s tip heats up the inside of the vessel, and then laser light pulses are sent into the veins, making them collapse. This procedure is also minimally invasive and safe, and it’s done as an outpatient under local anesthesia.

Radiofrequency occlusion

Just like a laser is used to close the damaged veins, here radiofrequency energy is used on the vein wall, making it heat, collapse, and shut it. Similar to sclerotherapy or endovenous laser ablation, it can be done in an outpatient or office setting, sometimes under local anesthesia.

Surgical procedures:

Some surgical procedures include stripping, which involves the removal of a long segment of the vein, and ligation, which involves tying off a vein.

Traditionally, vein stripping and ligation include tying veins shut and removing them via minor cuts in your skin. It takes 2 to 3 hours to complete the procedure. The recovery period is only 1 or 2 weeks.

Ambulatory phlebectomy

Here, your doctor will remove smaller varicose veins via a series of tiny skin punctures. Only the parts of the leg that are treated are numbed for the outpatient procedure.

Visit the top spider veins Clinic in Beverly Hills and get specialized spider vein treatment.

What happens if varicose veins and spider veins are not treated?

In most cases, if the varicose and spider veins are left untreated, they don’t cause any health problems. But larger varicose veins can cause aches and discomfort, especially if you have been sitting or standing for longer periods.

In some cases, varicose veins can lead to more serious health problems, including sores or skin ulcers, superficial thrombophlebitis, bleeding, and deep vein thrombosis if left untreated. So, visit a vein care center and get it diagnosed and treated to avoid unnecessary problems.

Final Words

Varicose and spider veins are common vascular conditions that affect millions of individuals worldwide. It has caused not only cosmetic concerns but also a range of uncomfortable symptoms and potential health risks.

But today, with the evolution of diagnostic techniques and treatment options for varicose and spider veins, people suffering from these disorders find hope and relief. Because accurate detection has always been a problem.

People dealing with varicose veins have valves that keep blood flowing back to the heart damaged, and identifying them wasn’t a piece of cake. Today, venous ultrasound can identify damaged valves and abnormal blood flow accurately. Most of the treatment options are affordable.

Some insurance companies can cover the treatment costs for varicose veins but not for spider veins, as they are less complicated and harmless. However, it’s best to check with your insurance company before considering treatment options for varicose and spider veins.

If you are dealing with varicose and spider veins or doubt if you have, get it diagnosed correctly at the centerforveinwellness.com

 

 

Did you notice a small network of blue and greenish lines across the surface of your breast? We know that they are veins that run all over the body and enable blood to be carried to your heart.

Though you can’t see them, these veins are present under the skin. In some cases, they are visible, especially in the breasts.

Are you wondering why my breasts look veiny and if that’s normal? Veins in the breasts are common, and their prominent visibility vanishes after some time. But if that persists or causes health issues, then visit your doctor. 

You will learn more about visible veins in the breast. Keeping scrolling! 

What Are the Visible Veins in the Breast?

Visible veins in the breast are normal veins that can be seen through the skin on your breast’s surface. But they are more prominent than usual, especially for people with light or fair skin.

How common is it?

Vein visibility in the breasts is common and can vary among individuals. But some common factors, such as breast size, skin color tone, body weight, and hormonal changes, influence the prominence of visible veins.

Types of visible veins

There are two major types of visible veins: varicose veins and spider veins. Both are types of venous disease, but they look different.

Spider veins are the typical type of visible vein. They are small, dilated blood vessels that arise close to the surface of the skin and often look red or blue. They appear close to the skin’s surface and aren’t painful.

Varicose veins, which are enormous than spider veins, are caused by weak or damaged vein valves. These enlarged and twisted blue or purple veins mainly occur in the legs and other body parts. Unlike the other types, they can be painful or itchy.

Causes of Visible Veins

Some common causes of veins in the breasts are changes in hormone levels during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or even during menstruation.

Pregnancy

We know that pregnancy changes a woman’s body in different ways. In particular, your breasts during early pregnancy take center stage in the transformative process.

The production of hormones and increased blood flow of about 20 to 40 percent causes your veins to get more visibility on your breasts. 

This is because the hormones prepare the breasts for milk production. So, they dial up the blood flow to ensure the mammary glands get a good supply of nutrients and oxygen. 

This is a common cause of veins in the breast, and it lessens after you give birth and start breastfeeding your child.

Breastfeeding

In some cases, when your breasts are overgorged with milk, your veins start seeing, and it’s again common. But if you notice spider veins on the chest along with swollen or inflamed breasts with redness and fever, it can be mastitis.

Mastitis is a breast tissue infection that occurs especially in breastfeeding women. Contact your doctor immediately to treat it.

Bruising and trauma 

A breast injury can cause bruising to it and can resemble swollen or visible veins. Breastfeeding women may notice swollen, veiny spots around their nipples. 

This is due to damaged and bruised blood vessels caused due to your baby sucking that area. 

Experts from the vein treatment centre in Beverly Hills say these bruises will disappear when the woman and the baby start adapting to breastfeeding.

Dermatoporosis

An important risk factor for dermatophytosis is age. As you age, your skin becomes thinner and is prone to tearing and bruising.

These changes contribute to the veins’ visibility in the breast, especially if the person has fair skin or body fat in that area.

Breast cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer is a kind of breast cancer that has visible symptoms on the breasts outside the skin. 

In most cases, newly visible veins on the chest are due to breastfeeding or weight gain. But if veins appear abnormally, consult your doctor immediately.

Breast surgery

Veins visibility may appear in female breast skin and tissue post their breast surgery.

A study on breast surgery revealed that visible veins in the breasts occurred after augmentation. If you are planning for one or have already done breast surgery, this could be why you notice visible veins.

Mondor’s disease

This rare vein disease inflames the surface-level veins in the chest. This inflammation can cause chest pain and increased veins visibility. The exact cause of this condition is unknown. However, doctors suspect that tight clothing and surgery may cause this, and it goes away on its own. So you can keep your cool.

Other causes of veins in the breast include regular vigorous exercise, rapid weight loss, genetics, and other medical conditions. 

Though in most cases, it is normal and remains temporary, consult a professional if any abnormalities pop up. But what are the abnormal conditions, learn them in the next section.

Note: Did you just think that varicose veins commonly affect the legs and feet? Yes, but you can rarely get varicose or spider veins on your chest. 

When to Seek Medical Evaluation?

While having veiny breasts is normal during pregnancy and breastfeeding, you must consult your doctor if the visible veins have occurred suddenly.

Check for these symptoms:

  • The veins are becoming large, twisted, or painful.
  • Breastfeeding a baby is problematic or causes bruises often.
  • The area around your breasts is red, itchy, and painful.
  • Vein visibility is accompanied by sudden fever, heat coming from the breasts, or unusual chest pain.
  • Or if you suspect that you might have breast cancer, consult the doctor immediately.

    What Can You Do About Veiny Breasts?

    As mentioned, venous breasts occur for varied reasons, and in most cases, they will go away on their own. If it persists for a long time, you can consult a doctor.

    But if the doctor has confirmed that the veins in your breast look normal and you aren’t pregnant or breastfeeding, it’s best to reduce their appearance.

    Because having arms or legs may look nice if you are a weightlifter, having them on your breasts can make you a little self-conscious.

    There are professional treatment options from cosmetic and plastic surgeons to treat vein visibility.

    Who Are the Best Candidates for Breast Veins Treatment?

    Surgeons from the vein treatment centre in Thousand Oaks say that the best candidates eligible for a prominent vein treatment are

    • 18 years old and above
    • Not pregnant
    • Not breastfeeding
    • Doesn’t have drastic hormonal change
    • People suffering from the effects of a breast implant

    If you fit into these categories, you can go ahead with the procedures listed below.

    The procedures include:

    Laser treatments, such as endovenous laser therapy, are done to destroy or shrink certain veins.

    Sclerotherapy involves injecting the veins with a chemical that shrinks the visible veins on your breasts.

    The radiofrequency ablation procedure is also comprehended as a rhizotomy. It involves a minimally invasive procedure where the area with visible veins is treated by heating it and targeting nerves to stop or lower pain transmission.

    Post-treatment, your doctor will recommend maintaining a healthy lifestyle that involves exercise so that there is no sluggish blood flow in your veins.

    But remember, these procedures aim not to eliminate veins in your breasts but to prevent or reduce their visibility.

    How to Prevent Veins in the Breasts?

    It is not highly possible to prevent spider veins in the chest, especially as you age. But it doesn’t mean that it can’t be reduced. You can take some measures to reduce the vein’s visibility, such as:

    1. If you are a breastfeeding mother, ensure your baby has a good latch. If you have issues, such as painful breastfeeding, consult a lactation consultant.
    2. If you are a breastfeeding mother, ensure your baby has a good latch. Consult a lactation consultant if you have issues, such as painful breastfeeding.
    3. Are you someone who often wears chest-exposing clothes? Then don’t forget to wear sunscreen or cover that area to protect it from skin damage that can lead to broken blood vessels and increased veins in the breast.
    4. While playing contact sports, ensure to protect your breasts.
    5. It is highly recommended to stay physically active, eat a balanced diet and maintain your body weight to keep the cardiovascular system, especially the veins, healthy.
    6. Avoid applying excessive pressure or wearing tight clothes that may restrict blood flow to the breasts for longer periods. This can potentially impact your breast veins.
    7. Taking hot showers often or exposing to very cold temperatures can temporarily dilate or constrict blood vessels, potentially increasing vein visibility. So, try avoiding such things frequently.

      Some Common Myths about Vein Visibility in Breasts Are:

      Myth 1: Visible veins in your breast always indicate breast cancer.

      Fact: While breast cancer can cause changes in the breast appearance, including increased vein visibility, it doesn’t always mean that vein visibility is cancer.

      Myth 2: Spider veins in the breast can be permanently eliminated or treated with home remedies.

      Fact: Be it home remedies or cosmetic procedures, you can’t completely remove the veins’ visibility in the chest. Rather, the appearance can be dimmed.

      Myth 3: Visible veins in the breast require imaging tests, such as mammograms or ultrasounds.

      Fact: Not all vein visibility problems require imaging tests. Your doctor will evaluate and assess the specific situation and will guide you.

      Final Words

      Veins play a big role in your body, indicating that the body is circulating blood. We all have veins in our breasts, and the visibility of veins in our breasts can differ from one person to another. This is a common occurrence and doesn’t pose a serious problem.

      But if your breasts’ veins are suddenly more visible, there may be a cause why beyond just having fair skin. Also, if you have a fever or become ill due to vein visibility, you must be concerned and visit a doctor.

      If it’s normal and you dislike spider veins in the chest, get the visibility reduced from the experts at a vein treatment centre in Thousand Oaks. This vein treatment centre treats various venous disorders, including visible veins in the breast. Book an appointment with the centre and get veins in your breast treated by professionals.