Why do varicose veins occur?

Dr Alex Vesey is our expert consultant vascular surgeon who heads up our varicose vein team at McKeown Medical. Here, he discusses why varicose veins occur.

Published by Dr Alex Vesey

Date posted — 17.08.24

Varicose veins occur when the valves within veins, primarily in the legs, become weakened or damaged, leading to poor blood flow.

Normally, these valves help blood flow toward the heart and prevent it from pooling in the lower limbs. When they fail, blood accumulates in the veins under pressure, causing them to stretch, twist, and enlarge, resulting in varicose veins.

Several factors contribute to their development, including genetics, age, prolonged standing or sitting, obesity, and hormonal changes, such as those during pregnancy.

These factors increase pressure on the veins, making them more susceptible to becoming varicose over time.

We offer a range of treatment options for varicose veins including VenaSeal™ – the most up to date method of treating varicose veins that causes less pain and allows you to get back to normal almost immediately, without the hassle of wearing bandages or compression stockings.

Get in touch with our friendly team and we’ll help you find the right varicose vein treatment for you.

Dr Alex Vesey

Our vascular surgery service is led by Dr Alex Vesey. Alex is a highly skilled vascular surgeon with extensive experience in diagnosing and treating a wide range of vascular conditions. With a focus on minimally invasive techniques, Dr. Vesey is dedicated to providing patients with the most advanced and effective treatments for venous diseases, with a particular interest in the treatment of varicose veins.

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Ok. So this is a younger patient in her late 30s and a lot of people might reasonably say "She's gorgeous, what does she need anything done for?" 

And I agree. But she had a little bit of excess fatty tissue around her jawline and neck which really bothered her, especially when she moved her neck. She wanted her jawline to look a bit slimmer and more defined and so we did a Quantum Lift for her. 

This is her just 24 hours later. Her bruising and swelling is not too bad at all, mainly because she didn't have a huge amount done - although she still has a lot of healing to go over the next few months. 

She is already loving the result however! What do you think?
This is a little sneak peek of our upcoming podcast between Dr Darren (@drdarrenmckeown) and our new body contouring expert, Dr George Christopolous (@gchristopoulos). The full video will be going live later this week.
On a scale of 1-10, how excited are we for George to start his body contouring in Scotland?
I’m super excited to welcome Dr George Christopoulos to the dream team at McKeown Medical.

George is a plastic surgeon with a particular interest in body contouring: liposuction, tummy tucks, arm lifts and thigh lifts.

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In the meantime, if you want to meet the man himself, George’s diary is now open for consultations at McKeown Medical.

Join us on Instagram to keep up with the latest results and expert insights from the clinic team.