Varicose veins can point to serious health issues. They’re also somewhat unsightly, and pose an embarrassing cosmetic issue for some.

But the fact that varicose veins can be fairly common and don’t necessarily point to a serious degree of venous insufficiency means that the proper path of treatment may be tricky to figure out.

Experts weigh in with their thoughts on varicose veins, spider veins, venous insufficiency, and more.

Spider Veins Are Cosmetic, Generally

One of the first things anyone should know is that spider veins will tend not to point to deeper health problems. While any vein issue indicates some sort of venous insufficiency, spider veins will not tend to be accompanied by the same issues varicose veins might bring: such as severe achiness in the legs.

However, treating varicose veins for health problems will tend to bring an improvement to the aesthetics of the legs.

Diagnosing Varicose Veins

It might seem like an obvious diagnosis, but a doctor can give you the final call on whether they’re varicose or not. They’ll palpate the veins and check the texture of your legs, sitting and standing — as well as examine your other symptoms.

If they’re larger veins, a Doppler ultrasound can distinguish varicose veins from seemingly varicose vines–that is to say, they’ll determine whether or not they’re failing to carry blood back to the heart.

Well, What Can I Do About Varicose Veins?

The first treatment option anyone should pursue is trying compression socks. This will help improve circulation and possibly kickstart bloodflow.

Barring that, sclerotherapy or laser vein treatment is an option. These will cause veins to collapse and blood to reroute.

For extreme cases of painful varicose veins, vein stripping might be used, wherein the vein is literally pulled out via surgery.

If you want to know more, call the Vein Center of Maryland to schedule an appointment. We are conveniently located in Westminster, Eldersburg, Baltimore, Hunt Valley and Bel Air.

We also service Ellicott City and Columbia in Howard County.