Vein Conditions

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 Spider veins are often very small. They are caused by a dilation of tiny capillaries on the skin’s surface. These blue, red and purple clusters of veins often appear at a young age and can develop into painful, complicated venous insufficiencies over time. Without treatment, spider veins can become much more than an unsightly cosmetic condition!

 Calf muscles in the legs act as powerful pumps to push the blood back toward the heart, but the stress on these veins due to the great deal of pressure causes them to weaken. The walls of the veins in the legs stretch, or the valves improperly open and close fully, so blood tends to pool, causing reflux. 

 When valves aren’t able to close, excess blood flows backward creating increased blood volume in the veins. This build-up adds an immense amount of pressure on vein walls, causing the veins to expand to make room for excess blood. As blood moves up from the lower limbs against gravity, more stress is added and these veins eventually reroute blood to superficial veins that are not used to that high volume; this is where varicose veins come from. Varicose veins are the number one sign that chronic vein insufficiency is present. 

 Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot deep beneath the surface of the skin, usually located in the deep veins of the legs. These deep vein thrombi can occur anywhere in the body, but are generally present in the pelvic region and below. 

 Unlike deep vein thrombosis, which affects the deep veins commonly found in the lower trunk of the body, superficial vein thrombosis or SVT refers to a blood clot in the superficial veins throughout the body.