Varicose Veins

Myths about Varicose Veins

Over the last few years, there has been a large amount of research into veins and venous diseases. Much of this has been facilitated by a new test, Colour Flow Duplex Ultrasound that for the first time, has allowed us to look inside the veins as they work.

This research is turning everything we thought that we knew about on its head. In particular, many things that are "common knowledge" have turned out to be completely wrong.

Myths about varicose veins

• "Women get varicose veins more often than men"
• "Pregnancy causes varicose veins"
• "You should wait until you've had your family before getting your veins fixed"
• "Varicose veins are only cosmetic and can safely be left alone"
• "There's no point in operating on varicose veins as they always come back"
• "Standing for long periods of time causes varicose veins"
• "Varicose Veins run in families"

These myths are at the heart of a great misunderstanding about varicose veins and venous conditions.

If you do read websites or magazines which still have the above myths being put forward as "fact", you will know that the article is many years out of date!

Indeed, there was an article looking at all of the new vein procedures that concluded with an "expert" saying:

- if all else fails, then the veins can still be stripped!

If he was a true expert, and had kept up with the research, the article (published in a national newspaper) would have concluded:

- if you have been unlucky enough to have had stripping and are one of the many it has failed in, at least there are new techniques to help salvage the situation.