Varicose Veins Affect Men Too

Would you believe that nearly 40% of the patients living with varicose veins are men? This might be a hard statistic to wrap your brain around if you’ve always considered varicose veins a women’s issue. But believing the myth that varicose veins don’t affect men could mean setting yourself up for serious health issues.

While it is generally more common for women to seek treatment for varicose veins, it’s just not true that men don’t also develop them. Age, obesity, occupation and genetics are all risk factors for developing these sometimes painful, ropelike veins for both women and men. As you age, your vein valves can weaken causing the blood that should be moving back up to your heart to backflow. That blood can pool in your veins creating extra pressure that causes your veins to bulge. Likewise, extra pressure put on your veins from additional weight gain, or being on your feet all day at work can make your veins struggle to maintain adequate blood flow. And whether you’re male or female, you are at higher risk for varicose veins if someone in your family suffers from them.

While some men think that bulging veins, especially after a hard workout, are a sign of health and seem normal, these veins could be pointing to a vascular health issue, even if they aren’t currently causing any pain or discomfort. If left untreated, varicose veins can progress causing:

• Increasing leg pain and heaviness leaking varicose veins can cause blood to pool in the leg
• Restless leg syndrome occurs especially at night when in bed
• Superficial blood clots can occur when a vein is inflamed just below the skin
• Leg Edema or swelling of the legs, occurs when the body loses its ability to reabsorb fluids.
• Skin changes can occur over the course of time, when the skin around the varicose veins thin out drastically. This thinner skin can be injured very easily and can take a long time to heal.
• Leg Ulcers occur when venous congestion gets so bad that the blood can’t provide adequate nutrition to the skin. A skin injury in one of these areas will heal very slowly or not at all.
• Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) occurs when a blood clot forms in one of the deep veins of your body. It can lead to painful symptoms such as swelling in your foot, ankle, or leg, cramping that begins in your calf, severe, unexplained pain, and skin turning a reddish or bluish color. DVT is serious and can lead to Pulmonary embolism, a life-threatening condition in which a blood clot moves into the lungs. If you believe you are experiencing DVT or a Pulmonary Embolism – seek help immediately.

If you are experiencing any of the painful and concerning vein issues listed above, give Dr. Eston Wenger, of Premier Surgical Associates in Cleveland, TN a call at (423) 472-5423 or click here to request an appointment online.