Specialist in phlebology and vascular surgery

FAQs

• What are varicose veins?

  Varicose veins are dilated veins due to the increase in the volume of blood inside them, which can often be recognised as lumps on the legs. When the valves weaken and are no longer able to close properly, the blood tends to flow back, i.e. to return downwards, causing the blood-lining to stagnate in the leg and making the vein swollen and bulging, thus more visible. This phenomenon is also known as “Venous Reflux”.

• What are the symptoms of venous reflux?

  Heavy legs, swollen feet and ankles, night cramps and “restless legs syndrome”, appearance of capillaries and reticular veins, varicose veins, itch, burning sensation, skin discoloration, up to skin ulcerations that appear without any clear reason and take years to heal.

• Who needs the phlebologist the most? Women or men?

  Men and women are roughly equally affected by chronic venous insufficiency, but it is women who contact the specialist more often, driven mainly by aesthetic reasons.

• Do varicose veins "come back"?

  If the problem is diagnosed and treated in the most appropriate way, it resolves definitively. In other words, the varicose veins treated in the correct way do not return. It is true that in the past there was a high rate of recurrence; however, it was demonstrated that it was precisely the lack of customization of the “classical” surgical treatment that frequently resulted in the return of the problem in the same area.

• What lifestyles can help to live with chronic venous insufficiency or delay its appearance?

  Regular physical activity (even walking half an hour a day), a balanced diet rich in vitamins and bioflavonoids, and the intake of specific food supplements (appropriately prescribed by the doctor) can improve the symptoms. Compression therapy (graduated compression elastic stockings) is an excellent aid that helps a lot to control the symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency. It should be noted, however, that, to date, there are no oral or topical treatments that are able to definitively solve the problem.