When people think of varicose veins, or other vein issues, they mainly think of bulging, unsightly veins in the legs. However, venous insufficiency, diseases, complications, and other issues can occur just about anywhere in the body, from head to toe.  Over 80 million Americans have venous problems. Whether it’s in your arm or leg, the vein vessels are unable to return blood to the heart properly. When a vein’s valves stop functioning properly, blood will flow backwards and pool in the vein branches, which cause them to stretch and bulge. When this occurs, a person has developed a venous insufficiency.

Where else can a person experience venous issues beyond the legs?

Arms and hands – When the body loses fat and collagen stores, the veins in these body parts will become more visible. However, certain vascular disorders can cause pain, swelling, numbness and discoloration in the hands and fingers.

Face – Spider veins and broken capillaries are known to show up on the face, especially on the sides of the nose and cheeks. These are usually purple or red thin, squiggly lines that can be very unsightly. These types of veins, since they are at surface level, can be treated with a pulsed light or laser or sclerotherapy.

Breast/Chest Area – Blue veins can start to appear and pop up on a woman’s chest for a number of reasons, including pregnancy, exercise, breast implants, obesity, and hormonal changes. Most of the time, these veins are just a cosmetic issue.

Colon Veins – Believe it or not, varicose veins can develop inside the colon, and hemorrhoids are swollen anal veins.

Vaginal/Vulva Veins – Varicose veins can show up in the vaginal/vulva area, usually during pregnancy.

If you have or are experiencing issues in any of these areas, it’s time to go see a doctor to determine if you have a venous condition causing these varicose veins. Whether cosmetic or medical, it’s best you get these issues checked out! Depending on the location and severity of the vein issue, the vein specialist will determine what type of treatment is best for you.

Dr. Peter Mikhail is a vein specialist based in New Port Richey, Florida. He also treats patients in the Tampa and Clearwater areas. If you’d like to book a consult or learn more, click here or call 727-312-4844.

Photo courtesy: Arkansaslasersolutions.com

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