An unexpected way to stay healthy this fall in Birmingham

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Alabama summers are H.O.T., which means shorts, dresses and skirts are go-tos to keep cool. In this season of bare legs, we started wondering how to keep ours healthy—and we don’t just mean “in shape”. To find out, we reached out to two local providers from Restore Vein and Wellness in Hoover, and we got the skinny on vein health. Here’s what we learned. 

Quick facts about vein health

To kick things off on our search for healthy legs, we asked the providers of Restore Vein and Wellness to explain what exactly vein health is and why it’s so important.

“Veins return blood back to the heart. Vein disease results when the valves in the veins of the legs fail, or become incompetent, and cause the blood to pool in the legs.”

Vicki Blackwell, PA-C, Restore Vein and Wellness

This can result in a number of symptoms, from poor circulations to spider veins. It can also lead to something you’ve likely heard of before—varicose veins.

Learn more about the importance of vein wellness + treatment options—contact Restore Vein and Wellness today.

7 risks of untreated varicose veins

Wondering what will happen if varicose veins are left untreated? We were curious too, so Restore Vein and Wellness gave us the following rundown of seven risks to know:

1. Pain + Cramping: Are you experiencing dull, aching pain or heaviness in your legs worsened by prolonged standing or sitting? Or throbbing, cramping pain at night? This could be a sign of untreated varicose veins.

2. Swelling: In Alabama’s high heat and humidity, experiencing swelling of extremities like hands, legs and feet is common. But swelling is also a sign of varicose veins. In Venous Insufficiency, the valves inside the veins are not closing properly allowing blood to pool in the veins. As the veins become enlarged and distended, they leak fluid out into the tissues of the lower legs and ankles causing the resultant swelling, or edema.

3. Inflammatory Skin Changes: If you like to show off your legs, you’ll want to pay close attention to this one. Untreated varicose veins can lead to inflammatory skin changes. You’ll noticed several unhealthy skin changes such as:

• Brown skin discoloration (hyperpigmentation)
• Warm, red skin
• Dry skin
• Rash
• Thickening or hardening of skin (lipodermatosclerosis)

4. Itching: Scratch. Itch. Repeat. You may think it’s just dry skin making your lower legs itch, but it is also a symptom you may experience with untreated varicose veins. 

5. Bleeding: Because the skin over spider veins becomes thin, vessels are easily susceptible to spontaneous bleeding. A Bandaid may not be enough, either. Due to tremendous pressure in these veins, it can be difficult to stop the bleeding, sometimes requiring an ER or Urgent Care visit for treatment. Yikes!

6. Venous Ulcers: Another risk you may experience if venous insufficiency is advanced and left untreated is venous ulcers. These wounds are painful, can take several weeks to heal and may even require referral to a wound care clinic to resolve and heal. 

7. Blood Clots: One of the most dangerous risks of untreated varicose veins and veinous insufficiency is the increased risks of superficial vein and deep vein thrombosis—or, blood clots. As veins become more dilated, blood flow becomes more sluggish. This results in clots, which can be life threatening.

Prevention + treatment for vein health

Health risks can be worrisome, but there is good news—prevention and treatment options are available.

Prevention tips:

• Drink plenty of water.
• Maintain a healthy diet.
• Avoid smoking.
• Wear compression socks to reduce swelling and encourage good blood flow.
• Get regular cardiovascular exercise to maintain an ideal body weight.

Need some tips on how to be active? Here are five reasons to get moving in Birminghams—ideas included!

Treatment options:

If you’ve followed the suggested prevention tips and still notice problems, your next step is to seek medical attention from Restore Vein and Wellness as soon as possible. Detecting problems early is key to vein health.

If you do require treatments, Restore Vein and Wellness has more good news:

• Treatments are all outpatient.
• Treatments are minimally invasive, decrease pain and restore beauty.
• Recovery time is minimal. Most patients are up and active the next day.

Must-know: Treatment of Venous Insufficiency with an ablation procedure is covered by Medicare and Commercial Insurance. 

Ready to book your appointment with Restore Vein and Wellness?

1. Request an appointment online or call 205.208.0324.
2. Fill out new-patient forms provided during your scheduled appointment.
3. You’ll have a physical and ultrasound and receive your results and treatment options the same day.

Discover more about vein wellness and treatment options—visit Restore Vein and Wellness’ website + follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

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