Since there have been no requests about special interests, I get to choose!! The next few weeks I will address veins and what to do about them.
The reason Cosmetic Surgery and Vein Surgery are so intimately associated is quite simple. I can liposuction, augment, and tuck everything to make the body look great, and yet, if your legs look like this.....
it makes it hard to wear a dress, shorts, a swimming suit, or any other attire.
Vein disease or chronic venous insufficiency, is a common problem. It is thought to effect at least half of the population to varying degrees. It is thought that the problem is hereditary, but can have other causes such as trauma or thrombosis (clotting). The veins causing the problem have valves in them that no longer work properly. The muscles of the lower leg act as a pump to move blood up the veins as they contract. The valves are supposed to allow the blood to travel towards the heart but not let it return down the leg.
This picture illustrates normal valve activity.
The second image shows a comparison of normal with abnormal function. When these valves are defective, the blood is allowed to return down the leg, increasing pressure and causing tributaries to dilate and become tortuous. Spider veins also develope as the pressure causes enlargement of smaller veins in the skin. The disease is not limited to appearance either. This process causes cramping, restless leg syndrome, skin discoloration, rashes, ulceration with secondary infection, swelling, and ultimately, disability.
The reason that these problems happen is multifactorial. Pressure, low oxygen tension in venous blood, and the leaching of iron products from the hemoglobin in the blood and into the skin. Depending on the severity of the reflux these symptoms may occur early or late in life.
I hope this discussion helps shed light on why venous problems develope. Over the next few weeks we will dive into the diagnosis and treatment of chronic venous disease.