Varicose veins are a common pathology and are rapidly becoming younger. If you notice that in the evening swelling appears on your feet, your legs quickly get tired and hurt, perhaps this is the beginning of varicose veins. It is not always the case that in the initial stages of the disease, swollen veins appear clearly on the legs - the first symptoms may not be very clear.
For example, in the morning, getting ready for work, you are wondering whether to wear fashionable high-heeled shoes? The question arises because at the end of the working day there is a clear desire to quickly take off uncomfortable shoes.
It's worse if varicose veins are strong. The question of choosing shoes is no longer an issue. It is difficult to stand on your feet for a long time, walking - your legs begin to hurt not only in the evening, but also during the day. And the appearance of the legs indicates the presence of problems - the vascular pattern is enhanced, pigmentation appears on the skin, previously invisible veins turn into unsightly nodes. In this case, not only fashionable shoes, but also miniskirts, favorite shorts, and stylish dresses are sent for long-term storage. Now the question you are asking yourself is in tune with the eternal quest of the Russian intelligentsia - what to do? Let's talk.
What to do at the first signs of varicose veins of the legs
The best thing to do is go to the doctor for an examination. Unfortunately, the first signs of varicose veins are usually not a reason to meet with a phlebologist, and this is in vain. Each patient saves himself by using traditional medicine recipes, keeping his feet in cool water for a long time, or simply lying on the couch and resting. The behavior model is wrong.
Suspicion of varicose veins? What to do in this case:
Beginning varicose veins can be easily treated with compression therapy. Properly selected compression stockings or knee socks will help you quickly forget about your problems. But the selection of underwear and the level of compression depends on the results of diagnostics, which only phlebologists can carry out.
Important! Do not confuse compression underwear with shapewear tights! This is far from the same thing.
Beginning varicose veins
If you want to stop the beginning of varicose veins forever, you need to:
- Adjust the mode. Physical activity should be sufficient.
- Change your eating habits. You should remove from your diet all foods that provoke vascular disorders - coffee, alcohol, spicy foods.
- Don't wear uncomfortable shoes. Optimally, a low heel (4–5 cm) in a model made of genuine leather.
- Visit a doctor. To clarify the diagnosis and select compression garments.
Severe varicose veins
Follow all previous recommendations and be sure to see a doctor! You may need systematic drug treatment or minimally invasive intervention. Amateur efforts in the treatment of severe varicose veins will not end in anything but complications.
If your legs hurt
Help relieve leg pain:
- Evening and morning cool foot baths. You can combine them with a shower, with which you can massage your legs and feet. Moreover, the water jets should be directed from bottom to top (this is how blood moves through the veins of the lower extremities).
- For a night's rest, modify your bed a little: sleep with the foot end of the bed elevated. For this purpose, you can place an additional blanket under the foot end of the mattress. Because sleeping with a bolster under your feet, as many sources recommend, is simply uncomfortable.
Feet swell and itch
Itchy skin on the legs is a common companion to varicose veins. And if it is accompanied by pain and swelling, it becomes completely sad.
- Both the swelling and itching of the skin will help relieve the cool baths that we wrote about above.
- Do not scratch itchy skin under any circumstances - you can injure diseased blood vessels and cause infection.
- Cream for varicose veins can alleviate your condition somewhat.
- Compression garments give the best results for swelling and obsessive itching of the skin.
If your legs go numb
Add manual massage to all the manipulations described above. And do it every night, in the direction from the fingers to the thigh.
For massage you can use folk remedies. Traditional medicine actively recommends rubbing with apple cider vinegar, olive oil and other means.
However, we want to warn you. Numbness in the legs is a serious symptom. It indicates not only the presence of venous insufficiency. Numbness can be a sign of thrombosis, endarteritis and other dangerous pathological conditions. Therefore, act wisely - follow all the recommendations of the doctor whom you must visit. Modern phlebological care is not only about operations. Compression therapy, hydrotherapy, sclerotherapy and other methods will successfully help you get rid of not only numbness in the limbs, but also varicose veins.
If a vein bursts
Severe pain or burning, and subsequently an extensive subcutaneous hematoma, are signs of a burst varicose vein.
All you can do on your own is apply cold to the sore area. And get to see a doctor as quickly as possible.
Baths and douches
How else can you treat varicose veins at home? Various baths and douses will perfectly strengthen venous vessels and improve blood circulation.
This can be either the well-known contrast shower or alternately pouring cool water over the calves. You can also wipe your sore feet with pieces of ice, or you can prepare a healing foot bath by adding medicinal herbs. It can be chamomile, coltsfoot, sage and nettle.
In addition, do not forget about this excellent opportunity to strengthen not only the veins, but also the entire body, through swimming. In summer you can go to a river or lake, as well as to the sea; in cold weather you can visit the swimming pool.
What you can and cannot do for varicose veins
Since varicose veins are more a woman's problem than a man's, the issue of self-care and preserving the beauty of the legs is a pressing issue. Ladies who are accustomed to visiting beauty salons for the purpose of depilation should be very selective in their choice of procedures. The fact is that prolonged exposure to high temperatures and traumatic effects are contraindicated for varicose veins. Already weak blood vessels are easily damaged, and a diseased, fragile varicose vein can burst.
So, hair removal: waxing, sugaring and more
Prohibited methods of hair removal for varicose veins are:
- Waxing
- Sugaring
- Enzyme hair removal
- Quantum hair removal
- Epilation with tweezers
You can use:
- Laser hair removal method
- Chemical method (special creams)
- The old fashioned way of shaving
- Electrolysis (in the initial stages of varicose veins)
What are the types of diseases of the veins of the lower extremities and why do they happen? Who is more susceptible to this type of disease? We answer the question - what kind of massage can be done for varicose veins (read). All types of massage for varicose veins in one article.
Tattoo
Some particularly savvy fashionistas see a way out of the situation by applying tattoos to the area of dilated, ugly blood vessels. And the tattoo parlor specialist is bad if he doesn’t send such a lady to the doctor. But many people won’t send it – they’ll lose their earnings!
Important! Tattoos for varicose veins are strictly contraindicated! Go to phlebologists - with the help of sclerotherapy, protruding veins will disappear without a trace.
Wraps
In the pursuit of beauty, not all remedies are good if you have varicose veins. You can do cosmetic wraps, but you can only choose from cold variations:
- Mud wrap
- Seaweed wrap
- Herbal wrap
- Chocolate wrap
The duration of the procedure should not exceed 15 minutes. After the procedure, a contrast shower with low temperature changes is necessary. It is better if you carry out cosmetic wraps in medical centers. After all, not all private cosmetologists have a medical education.
Contrast shower and hydromassage
Water procedures for varicose veins are indicated. Phlebological centers actively use them. The therapeutic effect of hydromassage and contrast showers is achieved with sufficiently long use - 10 or even 15 procedures are required per course.
If you do not want or do not have the opportunity to visit a medical facility often, you can purchase a home hydromassage and use it at home.
A contrast shower is an excellent therapeutic and preventive remedy for varicose veins of the legs. Just start with small fluctuations in water temperature, gradually increasing the difference.
Compresses
Hot and warming compresses are not used for varicose veins. Option – cold compresses, lotions. The simplest cold compress is a burdock leaf or fresh cabbage leaf that you attach to your shin. The pain will gradually pass, the venous pattern will smooth out, and the swelling will subside.
Another women's problem is abortion for varicose veins.
Varicose veins of the legs are not a direct contraindication for termination of pregnancy, but require additional consultation with a phlebologist.
It’s another matter if the pelvic vessels are susceptible to varicose veins. This can cause spontaneous abortion, which is a serious risk of miscarriage. Therefore, women should be especially careful about the health of their blood vessels.
For athletes – squats and stretching
Much has been said about physical activity with varicose veins. It should not only be sufficient, but also well planned. Let's take a closer look at regular charging.
It takes a little time, but be careful when doing leg exercises. Too active and stressful actions are excluded.
It is forbidden:
- Jump up
- Accompany exercises with strength training. You should not use dumbbells during squats, bends, etc. Your gymnastics is therapeutic.
- Squatting too fast and too deep. This exercise can increase the load on your legs. Squats are performed average, at a slow pace.
Add foot exercises to your gymnastics routine. For example, elements of folk dances - stamping in place, moving from heel to toe. By the way, such exercises are easy to do during the working day. Never sit on a chair with your legs crossed.
You should finish the gymnastics with stretching. An excellent method of training muscles and blood vessels, helping to relax. If varicose veins are present, you should not do the cross splits - light stretching is enough for all muscle groups.
External means
How can varicose veins on the legs be treated at home using external means? A colossal number of such means have been invented; these can be ointments, compresses, and various rubbing products.
- A very popular method of treating varicose veins at home is using horse chestnut-based rubs. To prepare, take 1 bottle of vodka, pour 2 tablespoons of ground chestnut nuts into it. The infusion is prepared for 21 days in a dark place, the container must be shaken daily. Afterwards, the contents of the bottle must be drained through cheesecloth and squeezed out. We soak a piece of gauze with this product, tie the sore legs, insulate them with film and a blanket, and remove them in the morning. The course of treatment is 14 days.
- Another effective and popular remedy for treating varicose veins at home is apple cider vinegar. But compresses cannot be made from it for a long time; such treatment requires a 40-minute duration.
- Now let’s figure out how to cure varicose veins at home with celandine. To do this, take half a glass of dry raw materials, add 1 liter of water, let it boil and cool. Then we strain it, moisten a piece of gauze with the broth and wrap it around the affected area of the leg, insulating the compress in the usual way. Now you need to lie down for about an hour in complete peace, after which the compress should be removed. The course of application is 7 days, followed by a week break.
- Girls, we treat varicose veins at home using kefir and yogurt wraps. You can simply make a kefir compress, or you can take yogurt, add the leaves and flowers of wormwood to it (after crushing it first). Apply this compress at night for 7 days in a row, alternating with a 7-day break.
- To prepare a miraculous ointment for varicose veins, take equal parts of chicory, mantle, meadowsweet, St. John's wort, coltsfoot, and boil together with 250 ml of water. When the broth has cooled, mix with olive oil. This is an excellent basis for compresses, which should also be applied at seven-day intervals.
- To treat varicose veins with improvised home remedies, “Ichthyol ointment” or “Vishnevsky Ointment” is also suitable. You will also need honey, freshly squeezed aloe juice, and rendered lard. Take just 1 tablespoon, put it on low heat and stirring, bring to a boil, turn off the gas, cool the ointment.
