Veins are responsible for transporting deoxygenated blood from the body back to the heart. This is why your vein health is highly important. It’s best not to ignore any signs of vein issues so you can stay ahead of your vein’s health and keep your circulatory system at its optimum.

Your veins are part of a complex and dedicated highway called the Circulatory System. Veins transport deoxygenated blood back to the heart. Without them, there would be no blood reaching the heart, and circulation would definitely be compromised. 

This is why it’s important to take care of your vein health and most importantly, to be vigilant of any issues that may arise. In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of vein health and what to do if you experience symptoms linked with vein disease.  

How Does The Circulatory System Work? 

To know how veins work, the key is to understand how the circulatory system functions. 

The circulatory system consists of vessels and muscles. These both assist and manage the flow of blood around the entire body. There are four main parts of the circulatory system: 

• Heart: the hub of blood flow
• Arteries: responsible for taking blood from the heart to organs
• Capillaries: part of the network that transports nutrients to cells 
• Veins: carry deoxygenated blood from the body back to the heart

The job of the circulatory system is to provide oxygen and nutrients to all the cells, organs, and tissues around the body through the arteries. While the veins are there to carry waste products and carbon dioxide. 

How Do Healthy Veins Function? 

As cells in the body use the oxygen in the blood, the veins take this blood back to the heart for re-oxygenation. When the veins are working well, the flow is continuous and uninterrupted. 

Veins also pick up waste products, such as carbon dioxide, from the body. They deliver them around the body for disposal and ejection. To make sure that the blood moves in the right direction, veins have valves within them. Valves stop the blood from flowing back.  

What Happens When Your Veins Don’t Function Properly? 

Vein issues can arise when the valves start to weaken. Valves keep your blood flowing to where it needs to go so when this happens, the blood starts to leak backward in the wrong direction. The blood eventually pools, causing congestion. 

This can result in vein issues such as: 

• Varicose Veins 
• Spider Veins 
• Chronic Venous Insufficiency  
• Venous Disease

How Do You Know If You Have Vein Issues? 

You will know that you have vein issues if you experience some or all of the following symptoms: 

• Leg Pain
• Heaviness in the Legs
• Itchy skin
• Ulcers
• Leg Swelling 
• Skin Discoloration
• Restless legs

What Are The Vein Issues You Need To Be Aware Of? 

There are several manifestations of vein issues: 

• Venous Insufficiency 

Should the blood in your legs fail to get to your heart, this may cause chronic venous insufficiency. If this is left untreated, it can cause the following symptoms, pain, swelling, cramps, skin changes, leg ulcers, and varicose veins. 

• Varicose veins

These are colorful networks of swollen or bulging veins that appear on the surface of your skin – usually found on the legs. The blood creates swelling in the affected veins – which results in an unsightly appearance. Varicose veins have their own set of symptoms, which include pain and swelling. 

• Spider veins

Spider veins are minor forms of varicose veins that are caused by a lack of proper blood flow. They can appear on your legs but can also be found on your face. They are tiny and sometimes unnoticeable but left unattended, they can form into more serious varicose veins. 

Which Treatments Are Available for Vein Issues?

At AVLC, we offer treatments for all kinds of vein issues, especially those that affect the superficial veins. Should you have any of the above-mentioned symptoms and suspect that you are suffering from a vein issue then call us immediately to start your vein treatment plan. 

The treatments we offer are the following: 

• Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy is a treatment of choice for varicose & spider veins. During the procedure, Dr. Heird and Dr. Winand from AVLC will insert a very small needle into the affected vein and inject a foaming solution. 

The foaming solution is formulated to treat the vein by causing it to seal off and collapse. Once the vein is sealed off, it compels the blood that has been stuck to move to healthier veins and continue its route to the heart. 

The procedure lasts less than an hour and the treated vein will eventually be absorbed into the body. 

• Ultrasound Guided Sclerotherapy

This is a similar procedure as the above described Sclerotherapy except in ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy, an ultrasound device is used to pinpoint the exact location of the affected veins. It allows the doctors the chance to map out exactly what needs to be treated. 

It is a non-invasive and non-surgical procedure that is used to treat varicose veins. After the treatment, you may experience reduced symptoms and the appearance of the unsightly veins may disappear gradually, especially with continued treatment. 

• Radiofrequency Ablation

This is yet another minimally-invasive procedure offered by AVLC, for the treatment of varicose veins. Radiofrequency Ablation uses a mild electrical current to close the problematic vein.  It can reduce symptoms of venous insufficiency such as leg cramping, swelling, and numbness.

Dr. Heird and Dr. Winand perform these procedures right in the AVLC York and Lancaster offices.  

Seek The Best Vein Treatment From The Leading Vein Specialists in York & Lancaster, PA.

At every stage of your vein issues, it’s important to see a professional to help you in healing varicose veins and achieving a life of normalcy and physical comfort.

Not only can they help you finally heal this condition, but they can also treat the vein issues that caused them in the first place. Visit one of our centers for an in-depth appointment and put your vein troubles to rest. Ready to book your appointment? Give us a call today.