Can Varicose Veins Get Worse?

Your once-smooth legs now feature a ropey, bulging vein, and you aren’t at all pleased with the new development. Called a varicose vein, this vascular issue is a common one — 40 million people in the United States have varicose veins, with women outpacing men by at least two to one.

Though you might gain some comfort knowing you aren’t alone, you also want to figure out whether the problem is progressive — will that varicose vein get worse?

The short answer is “maybe,” and we turn to Dr. Satjit Bhusri and the team at The Upper East Side Vein Institute for a more thorough explanation of varicose veins and their potential to worsen. Let’s take a look.

The makings of a varicose vein

To understand whether varicose veins can get worse, it’s important to understand what’s behind the common condition — chronic venous insufficiency, which affects up to 35% of adults in the US.

In brief, the veins in your legs are equipped with tiny valves that open and close as blood passes through on its way to your heart. These valves keep blood flowing upward by closing as blood passes through, which prevents blood from succumbing to gravity and spilling backward.

With CVI, these tiny, one-way valves weaken and/or malfunction, which allows blood to pool in your lower legs. As a result, there’s more pressure inside the blood vessels, which can cause them to engorge and rise to the surface of your skin to create varicose veins.

Do varicose veins stay the same or get worse?

Now, let’s get into the heart of this discussion about whether varicose veins can get worse, and they absolutely can. That said, varicose veins can also appear and never change or cause any issues outside of being a cosmetic concern.

There’s no way to predict whether a varicose vein will worsen or not, but bear in mind that the underlying condition — CVI — is considered progressive. It’s a chronic, long-term disease that has no cure, though there are steps you can take to slow the progression, such as literal steps in the form of exercise.

A good indicator is if you’re experiencing any symptoms, such as:

• Discomfort in your legs, which is usually described as achy or heavy
• Cramping
• Itchiness

These symptoms indicate that your CVI is moderate to severe, and varicose veins are simply an outward sign of this — an outward sign that can get worse. 

Our main concern is the development of venous ulcers — the pressure of pooling blood in your legs can be so great that your skin breaks open around the vein, and this is a complication you should try to avoid.

Preventing problematic and worsening varicose veins

If you’d rather not take a wait-and-see approach to see whether your varicose vein will get worse, a better road forward might be to act preemptively. We offer a range of excellent vein treatments that can quickly and easily rid your legs of varicose veins.

By taking action early, you can stay one step ahead of varicose veins and CVI, and you don’t have to deal with problematic diseased veins down the road.

To explore your varicose vein treatment options, as well as tips for preventing them in the future, please call our New York City office on the Upper East Side of Manhattan at 212-752-3464. You can also schedule your appointment online by clicking here.