As premier vein care specialists in Hawaii, we love what we do. People come to see us with varicose veins, and we help them eliminate them. It’s very fulfilling being an Oahu varicose vein doctor.
However, there is something we see a lot that is much less fulfilling. That’s when we examine patients with varicose veins, present to them their treatment options, and then they leave and we don’t see them again until months or even years later, by which time their varicose veins have gotten much, much worse, and treating them has become much more difficult.
We really try to prevent this. We carefully explain the stages of vein disease, and that putting off treatment for their varicose veins is going to result in some very unpleasant symptoms as they get worse. In this article we’re going to reiterate those warnings, just in case a few of you out there are still putting off seeking the treatment you need, hoping that your varicose veins will magically go away, or “get better on their own.” They won’t. They’ll get worse. Here’s how much worse:
The most common ways that varicose vein symptoms progress
The first stage of varicose vein progression occurs when the diseased veins that have become filled with blood become visible.
In the second stage of varicose vein progression, you experience itchiness, burning, or numbness along the veins themselves, and tiredness or achiness in your legs, impairing your ability to stand or walk for very long.
The most common stage three symptom is edema (swelling), which occurs because the underlying vein disease impairs your body’s ability to reabsorb fluids. This is often painful, making it even more difficult to stand or walk.
Stage four symptoms are characterized by changes to skin color or texture, in which the skin covering the diseased veins becomes reddish-brown or white, and takes on a brittle, leathery texture that leaves it prone to injury.
In stage five, scratches to this brittle skin turn into ulcers, but still respond to superficial treatment.
In stage six, the leg ulcers stop responding to superficial treatment, and can leave the patient’s legs covered with bleeding, open sores that won’t heal.
Sound awful? It is. And this is what IS going to happen if you have varicose veins and fail to seek treatment for them from qualified Oahu varicose vein doctor. This isn’t what mighthappen – it’s what WILL happen. It may not happen for months, or even years, but our many years of experience enables us to predict that it WILL happen. This is just how vein disease progresses.
What can I do to prevent my varicose veins from getting this bad?
In two words, seek treatment. Find the best vein doctors in Hawaii, and allow them to help you. If they catch the vein disease early enough, Maui vein treatment specialists can often start with conservative forms of treatment such as diet, exercise, and the use of compression stockings. If the disease has progressed to later stages, it may require more aggressive treatments that actually involve removing the diseased veins entirely. But in every case the first step in finding out what the best treatment options are for you is to call our Oahu varicose vein doctor or go online and set up an appointment for a consultation. You’ll be happy you did.
