How should young people deal with varicose veins in the lower legs?

Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
Updated on September 16, 2024
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Firstly, for young people with varicose veins in the lower leg, it is recommended to go to the hospital for an ultrasound examination to check the condition of the deep veins. Additionally, consult a professional vascular surgeon to assess the severity. If the deep veins are unobstructed and the superficial varicose veins in the lower leg are not too severe, the doctor will suggest the patient wear medical compression stockings and continue with normal life activities. If the condition is more serious or there are certain issues with the deep veins, the doctor might recommend surgery. For such patients, it is important in daily life to avoid standing or sitting for long periods, and to avoid letting the legs dangle for too long. If standing, one can also step in place appropriately, which helps alleviate varicose veins. Also, when resting, take any opportunity to elevate the legs and avoid soaking feet in hot water.

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Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
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Can varicose veins occasionally be invisible?

When varicose veins are mild in their early stages, if you wear compression stockings during winter, it's possible that the varicosities are not very noticeable occasionally when you take off the stockings. However, in more advanced stages, when there are clearly widespread and clustered varicose veins, they are difficult to conceal. However, if deep vein thrombosis occurs, causing tissue edema, the swollen surrounding tissues may obscure the varicose veins, making them less visible. Therefore, we need to judge based on the specific circumstances. Generally, just because varicose veins are occasionally not visible does not mean that the condition has healed.

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Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
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Is vein varicose treatment better with injections or surgery?

Venous sclerotherapy involves injecting a sclerosing agent and is a relatively good and minimally invasive treatment method. Its advantages include being minimally invasive and even suitable for outpatient surgery, with low costs. However, there are drawbacks; one is that the medication might enter the deep veins, causing deep vein thrombosis. If the dosage is too large, it could reach the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism. Additionally, the medication might seep into surrounding tissues, causing inflammatory reactions. Some patients may experience temporary hyperpigmentation. Surgical treatment is a more traditional method, but it depends on the specific situation. Generally, it causes more trauma than sclerotherapy and usually requires some level of anesthesia. Surgery entails a certain amount of blood loss, and like other methods, it cannot prevent recurrence.

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Written by Chen Feng
Urology
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What should I do about varicocele?

The treatment methods for varicocele vary based on the severity of the condition. Clinically, some patients with varicocele show no obvious symptoms and it is only discovered during a physical examination. These patients can generally be observed temporarily, and can also wear tight underwear or use a scrotal support to alleviate the condition. However, some patients do exhibit clear symptoms, such as a significant sensation of heaviness in the scrotum, especially after standing or walking for long periods, where the pain becomes more pronounced. These patients generally need to consider surgical treatment, where the main procedure involves high ligation of the spermatic vein. This can help alleviate symptoms and also improve the quality of semen.

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Written by Zhang Xue Min
Vascular Surgery
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Will varicose veins recur and have sequelae after surgery?

After varicose vein surgery, there may be a recurrence, and there may also be sequelae. The main reason for recurrence is that we only close off the varicose veins, but the causes that lead to varicose veins are not removed, such as some people having a family history, some being involved in long-term physical labor, and some being excessively obese. If these factors are not eliminated, the patient is very likely to relapse. The recurring veins may be some other nearby superficial veins that some surgical methods did not remove but merely closed locally. These veins might also reopen, and sequelae are possible. The most common sequelae include nerve damage, such as saphenous nerve damage, which is quite common with an incidence rate of about 14%. The main symptom is numbness near the inner ankle, which might improve over time. Some people feel discomfort at the surgical site on rainy or cloudy days shortly after surgery, and if the deep veins are damaged during surgery, more severe consequences may occur, including poor reflux in the deep veins and deep vein thrombosis, etc.

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Vascular Surgery
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What does it mean when varicose veins occasionally have blocked blood flow?

The so-called varicose veins are caused by blood circulation blockages, which likely refers to local thrombus formation, leading to feelings of congestion in lower limbs, or caused by compression from above, such as tight clothing, exacerbating the obstruction of blood flow. This might result in increased surface tension of varicose veins in the lower extremities. Additionally, there might be some pain upon pressing, or even spontaneous pain. In such cases, differentiated treatment is required. For instance, if the issue is due to compressive clothing, like tight-knee socks or pants legs that are too tight, simply relieving the pressure should suffice. However, if a thrombus has formed causing increased local tension, pressing or massaging must be strictly avoided, as there is a risk the thrombus might dislodge and potentially lead to pulmonary embolism.