If you are dealing with spider veins or varicose veins because of poor blood circulation and underlying vein disease, here are some ways recommended by vein doctors from reputable vein treatment centers to promote proper blood flow throughout the body. Let’s talk about some of these easy ways to increase blood circulation in your everyday life for some temporary relief until you are able to seek treatment at a “vein center near me California.”
Keeping Legs Elevated
Varicose veins occur when blood flows back down and pools around the veins in the legs, causing them to bulge. To combat this, you can elevate your legs and let gravity do what it does best by helping accumulated blood flow smoothly back to your heart. You can prop your feet up under your desk at work, or rest your feet on some pillows while lying in bed to take a load off after a long day, all while promoting better blood circulation, alleviating swelling in the legs, and reducing accumulation of blood in your veins.
Massage
No one really needs another reason to be convinced to get a massage, because they are relaxing and relieving to the body after undergoing strain from the stresses of life, but another great benefit of gently massaging your legs is improving blood circulation. The gentle pressure can alleviate some pain and discomfort from varicose veins, but take extra care that while you are massaging that you do not apply direct pressure to the varicose veins. The skin in that area is quite delicate and fragile, so direct pressure can lead to injury.
Exercise
Regular exercise can encourage blood circulation in the legs and push along
some of the accumulated blood from the veins back into its normal pathway of flow. You don’t have to spend hours on the treadmill or compete in a triathlon to reap these benefits, because even low-impact exercises that get your heart rate up and work your calf muscles can have a great impact on your blood circulation. Some ideas for exercises include swimming, walking, jogging, cycling, and yoga. Just be sure to stretch afterwards, because that’s also another great way to increase blood circulation.
Non-Restrictive Clothing
If you’re struggling with spider veins and varicose veins, clothing that constricts in a single area, such as tight jeans or tight elastic sleeves, can restrict blood flow and worsen the situation. It is ideal to instead wear loose, flowy, and non-restrictive clothes that encourage blood circulation, and wear comfortable flat shoes rather than high heels to prevent increased blood flow and pooling in the feet.
Compression Stockings
Compression socks are tight-fitting stockings that improve blood circulation through the application of pressure around the ankles and feet, improving blood circulation to the heart. Specifically, stockings close off bulging varicose veins or even the saphenous veins themselves to re-route blood flow through deep veins, with working valves, to the heart.
Compression socks cannot treat varicose veins permanently, because they are only effective as long as they are worn, so at most, they can minimize some of the symptoms and pain. A vein doctor at a vein center might ask you to wear compression stockings for the purpose of differentiating between vein disease or other issues, but these will be properly fitted by the vein doctor during your vein treatment clinic appointment. You should wear compression socks during the day so that blood does not pool in the lower legs, and if you wear compression socks at night, you should elevate and straighten your legs to encourage the flow of blood in the right direction.
All of the methods that we previously discussed can provide temporary relief to the pain and discomfort that results from spider veins and varicose veins. The only permanent way to treat vein disease is to seek medical treatment from a vein doctor at a vein treatment center.
For visible spider vein treatment, sclerotherapy makes use of tiny needles to inject medicine that improves the appearance of spider veins in just one month. The saphenous veins that cause varicose veins are targeted using VenaSeal, radiofrequency ablation, or varithena.
VenaSeal is a vein adhesive used to close the saphenous vein in the leg that causes varicose veins. Radiofrequency ablation uses thermal energy to close down the damaged vein’s walls. Varithena is a pre-made sclerotherapy foam injected into the vein to reduce the symptoms and appearance of varicose veins. All of these treatment options cause minimal discomfort and take less than a half-hour. There is no anesthesia or recovery time involved, so you can go home or back to work after the procedure at the vein clinic.
It’s important to find a vein doctor who is highly trained and experienced with minimally invasive procedures so that you can be sure that you are receiving the highest standard of vein care. If you are in California, Dr. Billy Schoenfield and Dr. Carly Guthrie at the San Diego Vein Treatment Clinic are both Harvard-trained and double board-certified vein doctors who are highly experienced and well-versed in vein care. They are kind and approachable, and prioritize patient care above all else, as they strive to provide everyone who sets foot in their vein center with a pleasant visit.
Our vein clinic in San Diego is located in a beautiful neighborhood called La Jolla, near the Torry Pines Beach State Park and Westfield UTC Shopping Center. End your search for a “vein center near me California” and set up an appointment to come visit us! You can call our office, where a friendly staff member would be happy to speak with you, or book an appointment online.