6th Jan 2025

When Should I Be Concerned About My Varicose Veins?

Here are the signs that you should contact a doctor regarding your veins as soon as you can.

1. You Have Severe Symptoms

Varicose veins can produce discomfort, aching, and a sense of heaviness. These symptoms are often worse at the end of the day if you have been standing for an extended amount of time; elevating your legs alleviates the pain. Most people experience no symptoms at the start of the day. People with moderate symptoms may benefit from wearing graded compression socks. However, patients with significant symptoms should be referred to a vein specialist.

2. You Have a Rash Near the Ankle

A dry, itchy rash around the ankle suggests that you have varicose eczema. During the early stages, the rash may appear and disappear. It tends to be worse in the winter, improves in the summer, and reacts well to simple moisturizing lotion. However, varicose eczema shows that the skin has been injured by superficial vein reflux. 

3. You Had Issues With Your Veins During Pregnancy

Veins may occur for the first time while pregnant. There are three explanations for this. To begin, there are several hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy that cause the smooth muscle in veins to relax. In risk groups, such as those with a strong family history of varicose veins, this can cause vein straining, valve damage, and varicose vein formation. 

Second, during pregnancy, the blood volume rises by about 30%. This strains vein circulation, and in vulnerable people, the valves in the veins may fail, resulting in superficial vein reflux and varicose vein development. The presence of a growing baby inside the pregnant woman's pelvis can cause a degree of restriction to venous circulation. This also causes a burden on vein circulation. Weak valves in the veins can give way, resulting in superficial vein reflux. 

4. You Have Developed a Leg Ulcer

A leg ulcer is a breach in the skin that allows air and bacteria to enter the leg. This is frequently caused by a slight injury, such as a cut or scrape to the skin.

In healthy persons, such an injury heals fast, typically within a week or two. However, if the person has an underlying health problem, the skin may not mend and the region of breakdown may grow in size. 

Initially, a venous leg ulcer should be managed by a trained team with experience cleaning and dressing the ulcer, and the ulcer can be healed utilizing compression, such as bandages or stockings.

5. The Skin Around Your Ankle Is Weeping

Eczema may cause fluid to leak or "weep" from tiny fissures in the skin's surface. When this fluid dries, it may form a "crust". When fluid spills out, the eczema becomes wet and weepy. Weeping is potentially serious since it indicates that the skin has small fissures. These cracks allow fluid to escape, but they may also allow infection, which can lead to sepsis. 

Weeping also indicates that the skin is extremely vulnerable, and even a minor blow or damage might cause a leg ulcer. A leg ulcer in poor skin caused by varicose eczema is extremely difficult to heal. Leg ulcers frequently recur even after they have been healed.

6. Your Ankle Is Swollen by the End of the Day 

There are numerous reasons why your ankle may swell by the end of the day. However, if you have significant varicose veins caused by superficial venous reflux, you are almost guaranteed to experience ankle edema. If your ankle feels okay in the morning but swells throughout the day, you most likely have an issue with the valves inside your veins. As a result, you might consider visiting your doctor.

7. You Have a Tender Lump

If you experience a tender bulge in your varicose veins, it is most likely caused by a clot. This is a disorder known as superficial vein thrombosis. The more commonly used term is "phlebitis". Phlebitis is an inflammation of a vein caused by the presence of a clot. It can disperse and the phlebitis improves, but it can also be severe and hazardous.