Varicose Veins

What Are Varicose Veins and What Causes Them?

Varicose veins are caused by damaged valves inside your veins. Normally, these one-way valves help push blood from your legs up to your heart. When they fail, blood can leak backward and pool in the veins, causing them to bulge and become visible.

While the exact cause isn’t fully understood, people who have varicose veins often have a genetic weakness in these valves. Other factors that put stress on your leg veins, like prolonged standing or multiple pregnancies, can also cause the veins to stretch and the valves to fail.

Symptoms of Varicose Veins

Symptoms can vary widely:

  • None at all: Some people have no symptoms other than the appearance of the veins. This is common in physically active individuals whose strong leg muscles help compensate.
  • Mild symptoms: This includes aching, cramping, or itchiness around the veins, and swollen ankles. These symptoms often worsen after standing for a long time.
  • Severe symptoms and complications: In more advanced cases, varicose veins can lead to skin ulcers, bleeding, or blood clots (thrombophlebitis).

You can’t always prevent varicose veins, but lifestyle changes can help delay their onset:

  • Exercise regularly, especially activities like walking or running that strengthen your leg muscles and improve circulation.
  • Maintain a healthy weight to reduce pressure on your legs.
    Avoid crossing your legs when sitting.
  • Elevate your legs when you’re resting or sleeping.
    Wear compression stockings.
    Avoid tight clothing and high heels.
  • Eat a balanced diet with plenty of fiber and less salt.

Varicose veins are a progressive medical condition that won’t go away on their own. They can get worse over time, leading to pain and other problems.

  • They’re progressive: Creams and medications won’t cure them. While stockings and leg elevation can help with symptoms, they don’t fix the underlying issue.
  • They cause pain: Initially, they might not cause discomfort, but as they progress, they can lead to significant pain, cramps, and swelling.
  • They can lead to ulcers: If you see skin discoloration or spider veins around your ankle, your condition may be advanced, and you’re at a higher risk of developing leg ulcers.
  • Modern treatments are minimally invasive: Today’s treatments are much less invasive than traditional surgery. Many procedures are done in a clinic using local anesthesia, allowing you to walk out a couple of hours later with no significant scarring.
  • Insurance coverage: Since varicose veins are a medical condition, treatment may be covered by your insurance.

Today, there are a variety of treatment options:

Endovenous Laser Treatment (EVLT)

A thin laser fiber is inserted into the vein to heat and close it. This non-surgical treatment eliminates the vein with no general anesthesia and allows for immediate walking afterward.

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VNUS Closurefast (Radiofrequency Ablation)

Similar to EVLT, this procedure uses radiofrequency energy instead of a laser to close the vein.

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Ultrasound-Guided Foam Sclerotherapy

A chemical foam is injected into the vein to seal it off. While attractive because it’s non-invasive and cheap, it often requires multiple sessions and has a high chance of recurrence.

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  • Traditional surgeries: Older, more invasive procedures like stripping surgery or local avulsions (which only treat visible veins) are less common today because they have higher complication and recurrence rates.

To effectively treat varicose veins, it’s crucial to address the deeper veins that often cause the visible ones. Think of the visible veins as the “tip of the iceberg.” An ultrasound examination is necessary to find and map these hidden veins.
A comprehensive treatment plan, often a combination of methods like laser therapy and needle phlebectomy, is tailored to your specific condition based on a clinical exam and ultrasound findings

Dr. Tan Featured in the News

Dr. Tan perform EVLT procedure Channel Newsasia 2009

Dr. John Tan featured in MediaCorp Channel 8
(早安您好)

Dr. John Tan featured in Channel NewsAsia Primetime Morning

Dr. John Tan featured in MediaCorp Channel 8

Dr. Tan Featured in The Straits Times

Dr. Tan is the first in Singapore to perform Radiofrequency Ablation for varicose veins.

Dr. Tan is the first in Singapore to perform Venaseal (Superglue) closure of varicose veins.