Appointments can be made ONLY BY PHONE at the number: 032 31 30 65.
Phlebological centre Antwerp
FAQ
There is no diet, nor any form of exercise, to prevent the development of varicose veins. Being overweight, however, can be an additional risk factor in the development of complications. Sport itself is healthy for the whole organism and for patients with varicose veins in particular (e.g. jogging and swimming), especially if done in a moderate way it can delay the onset of symptoms.
When one sits with one's legs crossed for an extended period of time, one can sometimes get a "dormant" feeling in the leg because this position puts temporary pressure on the deeper lying blood vessels and nerves in the knee area of the upper leg. That this would in any way cause or aggravate varicose veins has never been proven.
With varicose veins, hereditary predisposition plays an important role. Therefore, it can often recur no matter what kind of treatment one uses. A regular (best annually) checkup is therefore advisable if you want to enjoy lifelong healthy and good looking legs.
For more than 20 years we operate all our patients on an outpatient basis (out of the hospital!) and under local anesthesia; after a brief period of observation you can leave painless our clinic walking.
In obese people, varicose veins can lead more frequently to serious complications, such as thrombosis or phlebitis. Also, in obese legs, the varicose veins remain hidden under the skin for a longer period of time and therefore remain often undiagnosed until very late.
Many young people with standing jobs (for example, surgeons and nurses in the operating room) and without a predisposition to varicose veins, nevertheless wear therapeutic elastic stockings during working time. After the job, they take off the stockings and still have feather-light legs.
On the contrary, if you feel less tired with a therapeutic elastic stocking and the legs are less painful, it only means that there is still a significant problem in the venous blood flow. A thorough examination and treatment are then necessary so that the stocking eventually may become unnecessary.
Of course, everyone wants to enjoy the holidays during summertime without worry and will try to avoid wearing ‘hot’ bandages as much as possible. However, you may as well undergo treatment in warm weather.
Properly performed sclerotherapy is quick and virtually painless. Some fluids may occasionally cause a brief burning sensation, but this disappears immediately once you start walking.
These fluids have been used worldwide without any problems for more than 50 years. The effective ingredients are a derivative from alcohol or glycerin and work very locally at the injection site.
During our 25-plus years of experience, surgery after sclerotherapy has never been a problem.
Due to poorly closing valves inside the veins, the blood circulates in the opposite direction: that is, from between the muscles towards the surface under the skin. When these diseased pieces of vein (including valves) are removed, the blood resumes its original direction of flow. There is therefore no question of "looking for a new way out". Indeed, due to the strong hereditary predisposition, varicose vein disease will have a lifelong tendency to recur. This is why a yearly check-up is so important, because the phlebologist can then detect new valve lesions at an early stage and also treat them much more easily.
On the contrary, if you feel less tired with a therapeutic elastic stocking and the legs are less painful, it only means that there is still a significant problem in the venous blood flow. A thorough examination and treatment are then necessary so that the stocking eventually may become unnecessary.
As mentioned above, the risk of complications increases when varicose vein disease is allowed to spread. Therefore, starting 3 months after delivery, we recommend a check-up. More varicose veins appear during pregnancy anyway, but: the better prepared one is, the fewer problems occur later.
Our oldest patient was over 90 ‘springs young’. A good phlebological approach provides relief without problems into very old age.
Due to hereditary predisposition, the varicose veins will keep expanding and finally the diseased veins affect the healthy ones. The burden is not always proportional to what can be seen on the surface. However, the risk of complications increases in time. Therefore, it is better to start adequate treatment as early as possible.