Varicose veins are traditionally considered a "female" disease. However, this opinion is wrong, men also suffer from varicose veins. In addition, they courageously endure manifestations and turn to doctors rather late, when the disease is already in its advanced stage, and this is not surprising: men are not so worried about the visual consequences of varicose veins - spider veins, protruding veins - and few know that the disease can progress to the stagetrophic ulcer.
Varicose veins begin long before the twisted, dilated veins appear on the legs. This is a process that can progress and acquire a protracted (chronic) course. Venous blood, which should flow from the bottom up from the legs and carry away metabolic products, stagnates in the vessels. There are valves inside the veins that prevent blood from flowing back. As the disease progresses, the valves inside the veins stop closing completely, and some of the blood flows in the opposite direction. Due to the excessive accumulation of blood, the walls of the veins expand, become tortuous. Blood circulation is impaired, swelling, pain occurs, and heaviness is felt.
If you do not take measures for treatment, varicose veins can lead to complications: thrombophlebitis (inflammation of the walls of veins with the development of blood clots), dermatitis, trophic ulcers - non-healing open wounds with a risk of infection. In some cases, complications of the disease can lead to disability. Varicose veins are not only a lesion of the veins in the legs, an equally serious problem for a man is the expansion of the pelvic veins. In particular, it can contribute to the appearance of other problems, such as hemorrhoids.
What contributes to the development of varicose veins:
The key factors affecting the development of varicose veins are considered a sedentary lifestyle, sedentary work, overweight. Irrational nutrition also plays a significant role. For example, due to the consumption of a large amount of meat dishes, spicy, starchy, low-fiber foods, chronic constipation can develop, which increases stagnation of blood in the veins of the small pelvis and legs. The influence of alcoholic beverages is significant: drinking alcohol provokes excessive relaxation of the venous wall. Veins with varicose veins are already stretched, and alcohol enhances the negative effects and contributes to the progression of the disease.
Signs of varicose veins:
- vascular networks or telangiectasis;
- dilated, convoluted veins or varicose veins;
- discoloration of the skin, its dryness, thinning.
More specific symptoms indicating the development of varicose veins may be:
- a feeling of fullness and heaviness in the legs;
- pain in the calf muscles;
- itching, burning, tingling, and even night cramps;
- fatigue;
- a symptom of restless legs.
How to treat varicose veins
Treatment of varicose veins should be comprehensive: a doctor selects a treatment plan. It is advisable to adjust your lifestyle. Benefits for vein health:
- physiotherapy;
- walking;
- swimming;
- cross-country skiing;
- bicycling.
To help blood flow more actively through the veins, massage of the buttocks, hips, legs, feet is useful. It should be light stroking and shaking the muscles (from the buttocks to the foot), without affecting the areas of the dilated veins themselves. The duration of the procedure is 5-10 minutes daily.
An important place in the treatment is given to special drugs that improve the tone of the veins - venotonics.
Venotonics are local and systemic
For example, local, or external, is a preparation that contains three components, which, thanks to an innovative delivery system of substances, quickly penetrate the skin and help fight heaviness in the legs and their swelling, it does not leave a sticky feeling and marks on clothes and skin. . .
As a rule, local remedies are recommended to be used together with systemic venotonics (those that are taken orally, in tablets). It works at any stage of varicose veins, acts on the cause of varicose veins from the inside and helps to cope with pain and swelling in the legs. The drug is convenient to use: only 1 tablet 1000 mg per day.
Varicose veins are an off-gender disease. It must be treated as soon as possible, starting with the first signs of the disease. Approaches involve lifestyle changes, wearing special compression hosiery (for men, there are comfortable knee-highs) and the use of medications prescribed by a doctor.