How to prevent varicose veins?
Not everybody knows this, but varicose veins affect both men and women, only that it is a more common ailment in women. According to several, detailed studies varicose veins affect only one man every five women.
The truth is that according to recent assessments, one out of ten people suffers from varicose veins at a certain point of their lives, being more common in women as a consequence of pregnancy and hormonal fluctuation.
Tricks and tips to prevent varicose veins
Maintain a balanced weight
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photoSeveral studies have proven that obese people have a 50% more chance to get varicose veins than other people. Moreover, obese people suffering from varicose veins present a high risk of developing blood clots.
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photoThe appearance of varicose veins is progressive, so we recommend an annual consultation with your doctor once you have concluded the treatment to eradicate them. This check-up will allow the specialist to treat any varicose vein it may reappear in advance.
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photoThis is a basic rule you must follow in your workplace and everywhere else. Choosing a career based on your predisposition to get varicose veins is not easy, so if your job requires you to be on your feet or sitting in the same position for long periods of time such as operator of an assembly line, office worker, hairdresser, etc., you must get the habit of taking daily half-hour walks and play a sport on the weekends. This way you will significantly neutralize the circulatory deficiency caused by your sedentary job, thus avoiding the appearance of varicose veins.
Likewise, housewives should avoid being on their feet for too long while doing laundry, ironing, cooking or doing any other household work. The ideal thing would be to interrupt the work for a while and take a walk between one thing and the next. It is also very important to take daily walks in order to promote a good blood circulation on the legs, the main target of varicose veins. -
photoExcessive sun exposure is not recommended, especially because it implies staying still for a long time causing vasodilatation and the appearance of little, ugly varicosities. Holiday destinations with really hot weathers are not recommendable either. You should chose destinations like the country or the mountains, with cooler weathers. Thermal baths with temperatures over 28 °C and swimming in very cold waters are not recommendable either. Radiant slab heating has adverse effects but they can be lessened using carpets. Heating especially directed to the area of the legs (such as cars, trains, planes…), chimneys, waxing with hot wax, extremely hot baths, etc. are negative elements you should try to avoid for the sake of our legs.
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photoYou must wear airing, loose-fitting, soft clothes. Any piece of clothing that is too tight on the legs (panty hoses, garters, girdles, etc.) hampers the correct circulation of the blood, something you must avoid at all costs if you suffer from varicose veins or if you are prone to them.
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photoIn any treatment to fight varicose veins is strongly recommended to walk barefoot on sand or grass. Footwear should always be loose, with no restrains of any kind and with a fine sole. Heels should be neither too high nor too low but with an average height of 3-4 centimeters to facilitate the functioning of the muscular pump on the calf and to flatten the spongy tissue of the sole of the feet. Otherwise, it would promote the appearance of varicose veins. Any kind of bone or joint anomaly on the feet or the legs negatively reverberates on the return circulation.
Regular check-ups
Avoid being on your feet too long
Avoid strong heat sources
Wear appropriate clothes
Wearing comfortable shoes
Other recommendations to prevent varicose veins:
Follow a balance, high fiber diet. A balance diet plays a very important role in preventing varicose veins. A bad diet can lead to obesity, which is one of the most frequent causes of varicose veins.
Immerge your legs in hot and cold water. Immerge your legs in water is very good to tone up your legs, especially if we alter hot water (38º C approximately) and cold water. You can also apply a towel dampen in hot water in the affected area (without applying too much pressure) for about 2 minutes. Then, apply another towel but dampen in cold water and repeat the process for 10 minutes ending with the cold compress. This prevents varicose veins from growing bigger.
Play some sport or work out. A little bit of exercise every day, especially walking (1 hour a day) helps the veins contract, empty and send blood to the heart avoiding varicose veins. Being on your feet or sitting for long periods of time cause the accumulation of blood in the veins of the legs.
Massage the affected areas. Place your feet higher than the rest of your body and massage your legs from your ankle to your knee. The massages must be smooth; otherwise this may damage the veins even more.
Elevate your legs. Elevating your legs is always beneficial to prevent varicose veins, which are nothing but weakened veins that are no longer strong enough to take blood back to the heart. This is why we must help them by placing our feet in a table or chair, holding our legs above the level of our hips in order to balance gravity. Half an hour a day will just do (preferably at noon).
Constantly change positions. Try to change positions as much as you can during the day: wear support stockings, lie on your back, elevate your legs, and put them to rest against the wall. Stay in this position for two minutes for blood to flow from varicose veins to the heart.
Move your legs. People living a sedentary life have greater chances to get varicose veins than those with a more active lifestyle. If your job involves being on your feet for long periods of time take 2 minutes every half hour to tuck your legs in and then stretch them, to move your toes – you can do this even if you are wearing shoes –, stand on your tiptoes every time you can and take a little walk an hour. You will see for yourself how good this is against varicose veins.
Walk barefoot. Walking barefoot on grass or sand is a very recommendable thing to do if you suffer from varicose veins. Besides, walking along the seashore is one of the most complete remedies because it combines the benefits of hydrotherapy with the mineral salts of the sea.
Practice yoga. Yoga is one of the exercises that can help you alleviate the discomfort caused by varicose veins. Take this simple exercise as an example: lie on your back, place your feet up on the back of a chair, and breathe slowly through your nose. This will help you make gravity remove the blood accumulated in the legs and redirect it.
Sleep with your feet slightly elevated. Place phonebooks or something like that under the mattress to bring some elevation to your feet (10 cm. approximately), keeping your legs high while you sleep. You will notice that your varicose veins stop growing. If you suffer from any heart conditions or breathing difficulties, please see your doctor before adjusting your mattress.
