Understanding the Symptoms of Venous Insufficiency

Chronic venous insufficiency is a relatively common condition that affects the circulatory health of approximately 40% of American adults, according to data available from the National Library of Medicine. 

Left untreated, the condition can eventually cause significant disability. Why, then, have many Americans never heard of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI)?

Award-winning vascular surgeon and vein specialist Dr. Michael Gioscia of the Vein Institute of Westchester explains the facts about CVI and the treatments available to prevent long-term health complications.

What is chronic venous insufficiency?

CVI occurs when certain veins in your venous system malfunction. Veins are the vessels that carry blood from your body to your heart for recirculation.

One-way valves within many of these vessels, especially those in your arms and legs, open and close regularly to help move blood along through the vein. When vein walls weaken or valves within them malfunction, blood pools in the affected vessel and pressure builds, causing a condition known as venous hypertension.

If this description of CVI sounds familiar, you’re right. It’s a common explanation for the bulging and discoloration associated with varicose and spider veins, which occur most frequently in the legs. Varicose veins are, in fact, one of the symptoms of venous insufficiency.

But I thought varicose veins were just a cosmetic problem

Dr. Gioscia explains that varicose veins are often a significant cosmetic concern. As a top-level vein specialist, he’s pleased to provide treatments for varicose and spider veins that successfully eliminate their effects on your skin’s appearance.

But CVI is a progressive disease that won’t resolve without treatment that closes off the damaged vein and prompts your body to reroute blood to a nearby healthy vein. Thus, the sudden appearance of varicose veins along with other concerning symptoms often warrants further evaluation.

Symptoms of advancing CVI include:

• Swelling in the lower legs and ankles, especially after prolonged standing or sitting
• Aching, tiredness, or a profound sense of heaviness in the legs
• Development of new varicose veins or spider veins
• Leathery-looking skin on the legs
• Brownish skin discoloration, most common around the ankles
• Flaking or itchy skin on the legs or feet
• Painful skin sores (venous stasis ulcers) that are vulnerable to infection
• Skin that bruises or breaks with the slightest bump or scrape

The most serious health complication of CVI is likely deep venous thrombosis (blood clot). Notably, the unrelenting swelling, ongoing tissue damage, persistent lower extremity pain, and other physical effects of worsening CVI can have a significant impact on your mobility and overall quality of life.

How do you treat chronic venous insufficiency?

The treatments Dr. Gioscia offers for CVI, while highly effective, are minimally invasive, essentially pain-free, and performed in-office for your convenience.

Your treatment strategy may include:

• Radiofrequency ablation
• ClariVein®
• VenaSeal™
• Micro-incision/needle phlebectomy
• Sclerotherapy
• Laser vein treatment

When treating CVI, Dr. Gioscia is also extremely committed to providing the most effective cosmetic results available by combining his medical expertise and skill with today’s most advanced technology. 

He explains that the key to successful treatment lies in a specialist’s ability to fully evaluate your veins and devise the most effective plan for your situation.

Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach to vein treatment, Dr. Giosocia carefully considers your skin tone, your vein coloration, the size and type of the veins targeted for treatment, and many other details to obtain the best possible result.

For an accurate diagnosis and highly effective treatment for the cosmetic and health effects of venous insufficiency, schedule an evaluation today at our office in White Plains, New York.