If we were to ask most people on the street “What is vein disease?” chances are most of them would say, “Varicose veins.” And they would be correct, in that varicose veins are a part of the larger field of vein disease, but they are far from all of it. “In fact, varicose veins aren’t even the disease itself,” say our Hawaii vein specialist; they’re a symptom of a deeper disease called chronic venous insufficiency, or CVI, which impairs the entire circulatory system.

According to our Hawaii vein specialist, most people have even more misconceptions about how vein disease is treated. Many remember stories told to them by their grandmothers, and still believe that varicose veins can only be removed with invasive surgery, and involves long and painful recovery periods and potential scarring. None of this is true, and these stories are a shame, because they keep people from seeking treatment that they really need. In this article we’ll clear up a few of these misconceptions.

Two more common misconceptions – vein disease is primarily a “women’s disease” and treatment is “merely cosmetic”

It is true that for hormonal reasons more women get vein disease than men, but this misconception prevents many of the 45% of men who have it from seeking treatment that they really need. And it is true that varicose veins are unattractive, and that removing them improves your appearance, but there are many other reasons to seek treatment. Left untreated, varicose veins don’t get better – they get worse, and can become covered with open, bleeding leg ulcers that do not heal and that cause so much pain that you can no longer walk.

And varicose veins are not even the worst form of vein disease. That would be deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, in which blood clots form in the deep veins of your legs. If this form of vein disease is left untreated, these clots can migrate through the veins to the lungs or to the brain. The former causes pulmonary embolism, and the latter causes stroke, and over 300,000 Americans per year die of these complications from vein disease.

So what’s the real truth about vein disease and its treatment?

The truth about vein disease is that it is very much a real disease, and that there are many valid medical reasons why you should see a vein care specialist in Kauai. And the truth about vein disease treatment is that modern methods make it fast, easy, and effective.

Now that you know this, isn’t it worth a few minutes of your time to call our Hawaii vein specialist, Dr. Randall S. Juleff or go online to schedule a venous health screening to find out what the state of your venous health really is? These screenings take only about an hour, and at the end of that time one of the best vein doctors in Hawaii will be able to explain to you how to treat your vein disease if you have it, and possibly more important, how to prevent it if you don’t.