Doctor Eston Wenger

Jun 18, 2021 | From the Desk of Dr. Eston Wenger of Premier Surgical Cleveland

Types of Varicose Veins

We’ve discussed what a varicose vein is in the past, but did you know there are different types of varicose veins? Sometimes varicose veins may look different which can make them hard to identify. You may not even know that what you’re looking at is something Dr. Eston Wenger can treat in our Premier Surgical Cleveland office.
First, veins aren’t just veins. Like most things in life, the more you know, the more you start to categorize things. Dogs aren’t just dogs right? They’re Goldendoodles, Labrador Retrievers, and German Shepherds. Veins aren’t just veins either – in the leg, they’re either superficial or deep veins.
Superficial veins live close to the skin and often form the basis for varicose veins while deep veins live deep in the muscle near the arteries. Varicose veins can form in both, but usually in the superficial system. We’ll touch briefly on the deep varicose veins at the end but for now let’s focus on three types of superficial varicose veins.

Saphenous Varicose Veins

Saphenous veins are the main veins that move blood through the leg and back to the heart, as opposed to from the skin to the saphenous veins. There are two in your leg, the greater and lesser saphenous veins. The greater is located on the front of your leg while the lesser travels up the back of the calf. These will appear larger than your usual varicose vein, often ropelike and colorless but form in the same manner as other varicose veins.

Spider Veins

Spider veins are smaller in size, red or blue in color, and are common anywhere on the body. Spider veins typically spread in a web shape rather than a mesh shape and are also thinner and smaller than other varicose veins.

Reticular Varicose Veins

Reticular veins are usually smaller than spider veins but can begin to feed blood into them. They appear as a mesh across your skin and often don’t bulge but can be unsightly. Reticular veins are often colored – red, blue, purple.

Deep Varicose Veins

Varicose veins forming in your deep veins are often hard to see from the outside but can lead to blood clots if unaddressed. They can lead to a condition called Deep Vein Thrombosis and should be addressed rather quickly. If you suspect a deep varicose vein please give our office a call for a consultation.

So, if you’re already experiencing unsightly swelling, or just want to get out in front of the problem before it gets worse, give Dr. Eston Wenger, of Premier Surgical Associates in Cleveland, TN at (423) 472-5423 or click here to request an appointment online. You can love your legs again!

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