Lifestyle change is the initial treatment to varicose veins. This includes having a healthy diet, doing light exercise, avoiding too much sodium, and even wearing loose clothing.
That said, we would focus on the latter and discuss what to avoid as well as what to wear. Hopefully, this can help you fully transition to a better, healthier lifestyle to improve your varicose veins.
Because as we all know, switching to a healthier lifestyle would not only prevent varicose veins from getting worse but it can also mitigate the risk associated with varicose veins such as leg pain or edema.
Improving Vein Health
In order to prevent or completely eliminate varicose veins, you need to improve your vein health.
There are tons of diets and treatment plans that can help improve your vein health. By simply asking your doctor about the ways to improve your vein health, you can immediately start your transition to a better, healthier lifestyle anytime.
Since varicose veins are so common among adults, you can now find lots of vein clinics across different parts of the United States. There is a vein specialist in Phoenix, New York, LA, or whichever city you live in. With that, you can simply ask a vein specialist for advice on how to get started and switch to a healthier lifestyle that is best suitable for your vein health.
Nevertheless, you can immediately follow these tips below and get a head start on your journey towards improving your vein health
What to Wear
Doctors and specialists generally recommend wearing compression stockings post-surgery. So if you have recently undergone any varicose vein surgery or treatment, then you need to wear these compression stockings for a few days or weeks.
But if that is not the case and you have not undergone any surgery before, then wearing compression stockings would still help. Even though the most effective way to remove varicose veins permanently is through treatment or surgery, wearing compression stockings can still decrease the incidence of long saphenous vein reflux.
Saphenous vein reflux is when your saphenous veins, a vein that runs from your ankle to your groin, are compromised. When this happens, you are more likely to develop varicose veins because the blood in your legs tends to pool or back up in those areas. Wearing compression stockings can prevent this backup of blood in those vein regions, making you less prone to develop varicose veins.
Some experts recommend that wearing compression stockings every day until bedtime is ideal. But it is highly recommended on days when you are going to be inactive or immobile for too long. So if you are planning to travel long-distance or you are about to sit through a long flight, then wearing compression stocking would prevent your varicose veins from worsening.
There are also other compression garments that you can wear to treat other parts of your body aside from your legs. Given that varicose vein is common and almost all adults will experience it at some point, there are now tons of compression garments to choose from. Apart from wearing it underneath, you can now confidently pair your printed compression socks with your pair of shorts or dress.
What Not to Wear
One of the best ways to prevent or improve the appearance of your varicose veins is to minimize pressure and improve the blood flow in your legs. This helps prevent varicose veins from worsening or better yet, delay varicose veins from even forming in the first place.
To do this, you just need to avoid wearing tight clothes and high heels.
Keep in mind that tight clothes are not the same as compression stockings or garments. Rather than help your varicose veins, tight clothing such as skinny jeans can in fact worsen the appearance of your varicose veins. That said, you cannot argue that skinny jeans or leggings are the same as compression stockings. The former is designed to look fashionable by completely disregarding comfort while the latter is carefully made to support your blood flow and help you with poor circulation in your legs.
As for high heels, they may not directly cause varicose veins but they can increase the risk of you developing them. So if you have not developed any varicose veins in your legs yet, then it might be best to stick to comfortable shoes or flats. Wearing them can help tone your calf muscles, allowing your blood to move freely and making you less prone to varicose veins.