Varicose veins on a woman's legs are treated using surgical methods. It is possible to use minimally invasive procedures aimed at closing the dilated veins. Most often, sclerotherapy is used for this purpose. But most women do not want to see a doctor, much less go under the knife. They prefer to treat varicose veins at home.
How to treat at home?
It is impossible to cure varicose veins at home. Although conservative treatment is used, it does not reverse the pathological process and does not improve the woman's condition in the long term. Home treatment goals:
- reduction of symptoms of varicose veins;
- reducing the likelihood of complications;
- slowing down the progression of pathology;
- improving the quality of life.
At home, a woman can use medicines from a pharmacy, folk remedies, compression clothing. It is possible to use procedures that reduce the severity of symptoms, as well as to observe hygiene at work and rest, which can slightly improve the quality of life.
Recommended procedures at home:
- cold and hot shower;
- lying with raised legs;
- baths with salt or soda, herbal decoctions;
- massage;
- physical exercises.
It is possible to use compression clothing - stockings or golfs. They narrow the lumen of the veins, fully or partially compensating for the malfunction of the venous valves.
How to Treat With Medication?
There are many medicines for the treatment of varicose veins. Different drugs have different functions. It is advisable to agree on their reception with a doctor, because the dose, the duration of the course, the combination of drugs is selected based on your state of health and the stage of varicose veins.
Women can use the following groups of medicines at home:
- Phlebotonics.The preparations are mainly of herbal origin, which, after oral administration or application to the skin, increase the tone of the venous walls, thus narrowing the lumen of the vessels. They have a temporary effect lasting several hours. Tablets are more effective than ointments.
- Antioxidants (vitamins E, C, alpha lipoic acid)are used to improve tissue trophism. These drugs are needed to slow down the destructive processes that occur in the tissues due to a violation of their blood supply.
- Antiplatelet agents.Drugs that reduce the likelihood of blood clots. Usually for this purpose, acetylsalicylic acid is used in low doses. The drugs in this group also have anesthetic and decongestant effect.
- Anticoagulants.They are applied to the skin in the form of a gel. These are medicines containing heparin. It reduces the likelihood of blood clots forming.
How to treat with pills?
Basically, the pills used for varicose veins in women are venotonics. All of these pills are toxic to the stomach, therefore:
- the course of treatment should be limited;
- pills should not be taken for peptic ulcer or gastritis;
- the dose should be monitored by a physician;
- tablets should be taken only after meals.
We remind you that you cannot cure varicose veins with pills. They are used exclusively to reduce the symptoms of the disease.
How to treat with folk remedies?
Treatment of most diseases with folk remedies is a futile idea. But this does not apply to varicose veins on the legs of women. The fact is that almost all drugs used in this disease, which are sold in pharmacies, are of plant origin. Therefore, you can use herbs or foods that contain the same active ingredients as in medicines.
It should be borne in mind that treatment with folk remedies for varicose veins has a number of disadvantages, compared with the use of drugs from a pharmacy:
- There is no way to control the dose. Therefore, the risk of side effects will be higher, and the likelihood of reducing the symptoms of varicose veins is lower.
- Time consuming process. You will have to make decoctions or infusions on your own, which will take a lot of time and effort.
- Bad taste. Obviously, swallowing a pill is more pleasant than drinking a portion of a smelly broth or alcohol tincture. Applying folk remedies externally is not always effective, and besides, it is not always pleasant because of the specific smell that spreads throughout the house.
More or less effective folk methods:
- The use of infusions and decoctions of grapes or chestnut - allows you to increase the tone of the vascular wall. More effective when taken orally. Local use is unlikely to have a significant impact on the course of varicose veins.
- Local use of warming agents (camphor oil, horseradish, pepper). Reduces swelling, pain, relaxes muscles.
- Broth of willow bark inside. It contains acetylsalicylic acid, which has an analgesic effect and reduces blood clotting, reducing the risk of blood clots.
Ineffective folk remedies for varicose veins (not worth trying):
- decoctions of most plants: burdock, wormwood, comfrey, acacia;
- compresses from food products: beets, potatoes, honey;
- rituals, spells, prayers, conspiracies can and do help someone, but their effectiveness is not clinically proven.
Like drug treatment, alternative therapy has an exclusively symptomatic effect. That is, the means you use do not cure anything, but only reduce the clinical manifestations of varicose veins, improving the quality of life.
Output
The main methods of treating varicose veins are sclerotherapy and surgery. It is impossible to return the vessels to their previous appearance. Treatment at home is possible, but it is not aimed at completely curing the disease, but at improving the quality of a woman's life, reducing symptoms, slowing down the development of varicose veins, and preventing complications. Home treatment is done using treatments, compression garments, pills, or folk remedies.