While varicose veins have long been associated with women’s health, in reality, the condition is an equal opportunity offender, striking both men and women of all ages. In fact, about one in five adults in the United States develop varicose veins during their lives, making this a widespread problem with varying levels of concern.
Here at Vein Health Clinics, we offer varicose vein treatments that rid your body of this unsightly and sometimes painful condition. Under the expert guidance of Obinna Nwobi, MD, our two state-of-the-art clinics help patients in Oviedo and Winter Haven, Florida, regain smoother legs using minimally invasive techniques.
If your legs are looking more like a confused roadmap of your life rather than a blank canvas, we can help. Read on to learn more about varicose veins in men and, more importantly, what we can do about them.
Getting a lift
In order to better understand the treatments for varicose veins, it’s helpful to take a step back to review why they develop in the first place. Your veins are responsible for returning blood to your heart, and this job can be made all the more difficult the farther the blood is from your chest. It’s for this reason that practically all cases of varicose veins are found in the legs, which have to fight both distance and gravity to push your blood back up.
To help in this endeavor, your veins are equipped with tiny valves that prevent your blood from spilling backward. When these valves fail, your blood can pool and push the blood vessel toward the surface. This is what gives you the twisting, bulging blue veins under the surface of your skin.
While varicose veins pose an obvious cosmetic concern, they can also become painful or itchy and your muscles may be more prone to cramping. In extreme cases, you may develop ulcers on the surface of your skin.
The gender card
The reason varicose veins were long thought to be the domain of women is that women are, in fact, more vulnerable to this condition thanks to the hormonal changes that come with pregnancy.
That said, men can, and do, routinely develop varicose veins, especially if they meet certain risk factors, such as age, obesity, genetics, and spending long periods on their feet. In the end, and all things being equal, varicose veins can strike without regard to gender, meaning no one is immune.
Now what?
Now that we’ve established that varicose veins are a problem for both men and women, the good news is, we offer effective treatments for eliminating these unwelcome additions to your legs, no matter your sex.
Our goal is always to start out conservatively, only ramping up our efforts if your varicose veins prove to be stubborn. To start, we usually recommend compression garments and exercises that help your veins deliver blood without pooling backward.
Should these measures prove ineffective, we can try sclerotherapy, where Dr. Nwobi injects a solution into your vein that causes it to harden. Rest assured, your circulatory system adapts readily and reroutes your blood through healthier vessels, which is the goal of the treatment. Once your body reroutes your blood, your varicose vein naturally fades away as your body flushes it out.
We also use a technique called a microphlebectomy, which we reserve for larger varicose veins. During this outpatient procedure, Dr. Nwobi removes the vein through a small incision. Here again, your blood finds a different vessel that’s better able to handle the workload
The best way to find out which treatment option is right for you is to give us a call and schedule a consultation at our Oviedo or Winter Haven, Florida, offices. Or you can fill out the form found on this website to request an appointment.