The requirement that every woman should keep her legs well-maintained does not only respond to an aesthetic need. Taking care of the legs by striving to avoid the appearance of veins and capillaries does not mean to control them just by sight, but rather control the likelihood of certain venous diseases, as told by doctors Maria Elena Barzaghi and Alessandra Beretta of the Operational Unit of Vascular Surgery at Humanitas Gavazzeni.
How do venous leg disorders form and what symptoms do they present?
“Leg venous disorders mainly affect women who have issues relating to hormone production or who are pregnant. They present various symptoms that should not be underestimated and range from cramps to night tingling in the legs, feeling of heaviness to the swelling of the ankles, pain which spreads to form visible capillaries, and all the way up to varicose veins and skin hyper pigmentation.”
What do these symptoms signal?
“It is better to intervene by undergoing a visit to the doctor to verify the problem. It is important to do so, from a health point of view, because symptoms that may appear insignificant may in time become pathologies of a certain severity. Suffice to say, for example, varicose veins can lead to complications such as phlebitis or thrombosis.”
Which type of examination should one undergo in cases regarding venous disease in the legs?
“The first step is to perform a Doppler Ultrasound, which is a non-invasive and painless test that ensures that there is no presence of vascular problems.This test lets you know if it can be sufficient to eliminate the symptoms by adjusting your lifestyle –and focusing on proper food intake and constant physical activity – or whether it is necessary to resort to medical therapy. If you are involved in a more complex and severe situation, perhaps because you have waited too long before taking action, it is possible to resort to surgical treatment, yet this depends on each individual’s case.”
