When you are young, healthy, and active, you might not have many concerns when looking after your health and appearance. You might take more risks like drinking excessively, smoking, or playing extreme sports and activities. You might focus on taking care of skin problems or treating chronic illnesses like allergies and asthma. But vein health is not something many people think about in their youth. Some people may ignore vein health until their elderly years. What some people do not realise is that if they pay attention to it while they are still young, they can avoid needing spider vein treatment in Singapore.
Neglecting to take care of your vascular system has consequences. Usually, veins are silent and invisible workers in the human anatomy. If you had a chance to peer into a body, you would see a network of veins, capillaries, and arteries that is more than 96,000 kilometres long! The system plays a unique role in supplying blood to all parts of your body. Without your vascular system, your vital organs and other parts of your body will not get the oxygen they need.
In a healthy human body, your veins should be a barely-noticeable part of yourself. What is amazing about the vascular system is that it is an intricate and vast network of tubings that rarely encounters any problems. But even if you are a healthy person with no history of vein conditions, you should not neglect your vein health. If you encounter any issues with your vascular system, it will not be a purely cosmetic problem but a health-related one.
You can encounter life-threatening vein conditions, like deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or chronic venous insufficiency. Because your veins transport blood to parts of your body like the heart and lungs, any vein conditions can directly affect these organs. Some can result in death if you do not seek immediate medical assistance from a doctor.
Not all vein conditions are immediately harmful, but you may want to consider visiting a vein clinic in Singapore regardless of urgency. A doctor can help diagnose the cause of your issues and treat them before they make irreversible changes to your body. Two common examples of vein conditions you might have heard of are varicose veins and spider veins.
Spider veins vs varicose veins
At first glance, spider veins and varicose veins do not look serious. They seem to do nothing but change your appearance. Many people might erroneously believe that the effects of spider veins and varicose veins are purely cosmetic. Others may believe that the two conditions only affect elderly and middle-aged people.
However, the truth is that spider veins and varicose veins can affect people of any age. You can also find distinctions between the two. Here are some differences between spider veins and varicose veins in Singapore.
Spider veins
The main difference between spider veins and varicose veins is what they affect. Spider veins affect your capillaries– the smallest blood vessels that lie close to the skin. If your blood does not flow properly through your capillaries, it can pool in the veins and cause it to discolour. Blood vessels that hide under the skin turn into shades of blue, purple, or red. They weave weblike patterns on your skin, hence the name of the condition.
Spider veins do not normally hurt, but they can mar your skin and give it an unattractive appearance. Another key difference between varicose veins and spider veins is that they can appear on any part of your body (but they normally appear on your legs). If you have spider veins in Singapore, you may need to spend money on treatments to remove them from obvious spots on your body.
Varicose veins
Varicosity affects a different part of your vascular system. Varicose veins are larger veins that lie deeper beneath your skin. They have the same cause as spider veins– when blood pools in your deeper veins, they can become swollen and engorged. Varicose veins tend to bulge and turn dark bluish or purplish.
Unlike spider veins, varicose veins can feel tender or even painful to the touch. Like them, varicose veins mostly appear on your legs and also have a weblike appearance. If your varicose veins are too painful to withstand or start to interfere with your daily activities, you might want to reach out to a vein clinic in Singapore.
What to do when you have spider and varicose veins
When you look at varicose veins and spider veins, they do not appear as if they affect anything besides your appearance. But both of these conditions can hint at more serious problems. Ignoring the problem too long can cause it to worsen.
You can take measures to address spider veins and varicose veins before they ruin your health and appearance permanently. Here are a few tips to reduce their effects.
1) Explore treatments to resolve them
You might want to explore vascular surgery options in Singapore as a last resort. Consulting a doctor may give you options to reduce its effects if you are experiencing pain or discomfort.
2) Keep exercising and participating in physical activities
You are more at risk of blood pooling in your legs and other areas if you do not move around. An active lifestyle can prevent spider and varicose veins from developing.
3) Do not kick bad habits like excessive drinking and smoking
If you need another reason to kick your bad habits, here is a new one. Smoking and drinking can damage your vein walls and change blood properties.
Reach out to a medical professional at Cheng SC Vein and Endovascular if you need help regarding vein conditions and issues. Receive sclerotherapy and other treatments in Singapore by booking an appointment with one of their vein doctors.