Florida Vein Specialists: Weight Loss and Varicose Veins
One question that patients often ask when seeking vein treatment in Delray Beach is “I know I’m a few pounds overweight…if I lose weight, will that make my varicose veins go away?”
We understand why people ask this question, but speaking as specialists who are widely considered to be some of the best vein doctors in Palm Beach, we can’t give you the answer you’re looking for. Yes, losing weight will be good for your overall health – including your vein health – but it won’t eliminate your varicose veins.
Sadly, varicose veins don’t “just go away” or “get better” – they get worse
In almost all cases, the thing that causes varicose veins is a condition called chronic venous insufficiency, or CVI. This disease causes the tiny, one-way valves that make venous blood flow possible to become “leaky” and malfunction. When blood is pumped through veins crippled by CVI, instead of closing properly, these venous valves remain open. This allows blood to flow backwards and pool in the veins, causing them to become swollen and discolored – varicose.
Unfortunately, once venous valves have become damaged by CVI, they can’t be repaired or fixed – the damage is permanent and cannot be reversed. Yes, you can improve your overall circulation by wearing compression stockings and making lifestyle changes that may include losing weight, and yes, these conservative treatments may help to reduce the pain of your varicose veins and reduce side effects such as chronically swollen legs and ankles, but they won’t shrink your existing varicose veins very much, and they won’t make them go away.
In fact, left untreated, your varicose veins are likely to only get worse, no matter how much weight you lose. The weight loss will help by reducing the pressure on your veins and improving your overall circulation, but chances are if you don’t have your varicose veins removed, sooner or later they’re going to become inflamed and cause your legs to be covered with bleeding leg ulcers that refuse to respond to normal attempts to make them heal.
The only way to eliminate varicose veins is to have them removed
Varicose veins that have been damaged by CVI cannot be repaired, but they can be removed, and far more quickly and easily than you imagine. Modern vein treatment in Palm Beach uses procedures that are minimally-invasive, meaning that hospitalization, general anesthesia, and large incisions are not necessary. Instead, your vein doctors insert a tiny catheter (smaller than the needle used to give you a flu shot) into the diseased veins, and then close the veins completely by applying a chemical compound, heat, or laser energy to make them collapse.
This procedure takes less than an hour, and is so painless that in most cases no anesthesia is necessary. You can literally walk into the comfortable offices of South Palm Cardiovascular Associates on your lunch hour and walk out with your varicose veins sealed and return to work. Over the next couple of weeks, the last traces of the now-sealed varicose veins are absorbed into the healthy muscle tissue that surrounds them, and healthier veins take over pumping blood back to your heart. Removing the diseased veins not only removes the unsightly veins from your legs, it improves your circulation and thus your overall health.
Don’t get us wrong…it’s still a good idea to lose weight
Most Americans could stand to lose a few pounds, and they’ll be healthier not carrying that excess weight around. All Florida vein specialists are saying is that in answer to the question at the start of this article, losing that weight may be good for you, but it isn’t going to get rid of your varicose veins. If you’re interested in learning about fast, easy, and effective treatments that can get rid of them, see our website at http://www.southpalmcardiovascular.com/ or give us a call at 561-515-0080, and we can get started on your path to healthier and more attractive legs.
