If varicose veins run in your family, there’s an extremely high chance you have in your DNA the dominant genes that cause them. Some people are just born with missing or weak vein valves and or other medical conditions, like high blood sugar and high blood pressure, that can damage vein walls and vein valves which cause varicose veins to form. However, this doesn’t mean you still can’t lower your odds of actually needing varicose vein treatment like ambulatory phlebectomy, endovenous laser treatment, and sclerotherapy by making certain adjustments in your lifestyle. Here are a few of the most important lifestyle changes to make.
Don’t Be a Sedentary Couch Potato All the Time
Unfortunately, Americans have become increasingly sedentary in their habits over the last several decades. Instead of the neighborhood kids playing hopscotch, jump rope, and flag football after school, many now instead like to play video games, engage in social media, and watch TV. It’s less common too for adults to be engaged in an active hobby. If you make a commitment to get involved in an activity or hobby you love, and encourage your kids to do the same, this will make staying active much easier.
Only you will know what you truly love, and you may need to try different things to find out, but here are some suggestions to get you thinking: become a coach, volunteer for Habitat For Humanity, grow a garden, join a nature club like a birdwatching club, volunteer for beach cleanups, volunteer to remove invasive plants from habitat restoration areas, adopt a dog and take him or her on long dog walks, help your elderly neighbors with raking the yard and other active chores, join a rock hounding club, hiking, geocaching, skinny dipping, kayaking, golf, tennis, basketball, frisbee soccer, dancing, walk and chat with a friend, etc! It really doesn’t matter what you pick, just find something ACTIVE you love to do and keep doing it! You’ll avoid varicose vein treatment, or at least minimize the varicose vein treatment you’ll need, by staying active. You can try Home made coffee scrub to reduce cellulite, Recipe HERE.
Don’t Smoke and Don’t Breathe Second Hand Smoke
Large scale epidemiological studies have shown a strong correlation between tobacco smoking and the need for varicose vein treatment. In part, this is due to the link between smoking and obesity, but a correlation between tobacco smoking and the development of varicose veins in people with normal weight has also been shown. While the cause(s) for this correlation is not yet completely clear, it is well known that tobacco smoking causes major oxidative stress and hypoxia. Thus, it is thought by experts who conduct this type of research that tobacco smoking leads to damage of the inner endothelial lining of your veins and capillaries.
Second hand smoke can be significantly damaging too and increase your odds for needing varicose vein treatment! If your family, friends, co-workers, or close neighbors smoke, stick up for your rights not to be forced to breathe their toxic smoke! Don’t let people smoke in your home or in your vehicle! Politely ask people not to smoke in common areas at work and or home. Don’t be timid about asking people not to smoke in areas where it drifts into your home or office. If you are a parent who smokes, one of the best things you could do for your children’s long-term health is to stop smoking. The second hand smoke they get, even if you are careful, will cause damage for life and can easily increase their chance of needing varicose vein treatment later in life, especially if this is a physical trait that runs in your family.
Get Tested Frequently If Varicose Veins Run In Your Family
Contrary to popular belief, varicose veins are not always obvious. In fact, many venous refluxes, where blood is flowing backwards in your veins and pooling in your legs, are hidden for a long time before they affect the veins at the surface of the skin! In other words, you can have varicose veins long before you actually see them. Therefore, if you want to avoid extensive varicose vein treatment, it is important to get a duplex ultrasound scan at a top notch varicose vein treatment center like Metro Vein Centers on a regular basis, especially if varicose veins run in your family.
When you get a duplex ultrasound scan, it will show the doctors at Metro Vein Centers what’s going on inside your veins, including deep veins that do not show up at the surface of the skin. They can see if your veins are showing any signs of hidden structural damage, venous reflux, or thrombosis (clots forming). Even if your vein doctor for one of these scans suggests you need varicose vein treatment, if you catch it early, you can often prevent the need for more extensive varicose vein treatment so it’s well worth the effort.