If the veins expand, there are contraindications for varicose veins in the legs. You need to change your lifestyle, give up bad habits, saunas, heavy physical activity, hormonal contraceptives. It is recommended to choose the right shoes and follow a diet. Some types of massage, waxing and tattooing are also prohibited.
What are the contraindications?
Alcohol and smoking
Complications related to varicose veins in the legs due to bad habits are life-threatening.
Alcoholic beverages are strictly contraindicated for varicose veins. After entering the body, alcohol primarily has a vasodilating effect, increasing blood flow to the legs. Then vasospasm occurs, which causes blood stagnation. In addition, with varicose veins, the walls of the vessels weaken and become thinner, so there is a risk of rupture of the vessels and bleeding. Nicotine also promotes vasoconstriction and blood clotting.
Taking hormonal contraceptives
The use of hormone-based contraceptives provokes a high level of progesterone in women, which contributes to the expansion of blood vessels. As a result, the functioning of the venous valves is disturbed, the blood flow worsens, and the tone of the vascular walls decreases. Hormonal contraceptives also increase the viscosity of blood plasma, which leads to the formation of blood clots.
Sports activities
If you have varicose veins, it is contraindicated to do strength sports, because when lifting a heavy load, there is a large blood flow to the lower extremities. Athletics, gymnastics, freestyle skiing, snowboarding and football are also prohibited. These sports are also very traumatic. Injuries are always accompanied by swelling and poor blood circulation, which has a negative effect on enlarged vessels. Walking and swimming are recommended. It helps strengthen blood vessels and muscles and normalize lymph flow.
Visiting the bath and sauna
With varicose veins of the lower extremities, exposure to high temperatures can be harmful. Hot water and steam help dilate blood vessels, as the volume of blood entering them increases. Load redistribution occurs when healthy vessels take over the function of the affected vessels. This causes the formation of varicose veins in the deep veins. You can visit the bath only in the initial stage of the disease after consulting a doctor. A visit to the sauna should be replaced by a visit to the infrared cabin.
Diet
It is recommended to adjust your diet for varicose veins. To dilute the blood, you need to drink 1. 5-2 liters of clean water per day. What you can and can't eat is shown in the table:
| Allowed | Forbidden |
|---|---|
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Life style
In order to live normally with varicose veins in the legs, you need to give up a sedentary lifestyle. Physical inactivity worsens blood circulation and contributes to obesity. It is recommended to do possible exercises that improve blood flow and strengthen muscles every day:
- rotational movements of the leg;
- roll from heel to toe;
- raise the leg with an extended toe;
- to roll a ball or stick placed under the foot.
If you have varicose veins, it is strictly forbidden to sit with your legs crossed. It is recommended to sleep on your back with varicose veins, put a support or a hard pillow under your legs so that the lower limbs are slightly elevated. This will improve blood flow during sleep. It is forbidden to wear accessories that constrict blood vessels on the legs.
Choice of shoes
If you have inflammation of the veins, you should avoid narrow, uncomfortable shoes with high heels. Wearing such shoes disrupts the blood supply to the lower extremities, helps to properly load the feet and provokes cramps. You should choose the right shoes for varicose veins by following the following recommendations:
- Naturalness of materials. It provides good ventilation, so the foot does not sweat and swelling does not occur.
- Appearance. The heel should be stable, rigid and anatomically correct. The heel is wide, not more than 4 cm high.
- Adjustable cap. It is better to choose shoes with laces or Velcro that do not squeeze your feet.
Massage sessions
If you have varicose veins, you cannot do roller, vacuum or anti-cellulite massage.Such procedures are accompanied by squeezing, tapping and bathing, which can cause damage to the vessels and the formation of blood clots.It is better to remove the swelling with light stroke movements from the foot up. You can use a special vibration massager or undergo hydromassage sessions. Such procedures improve blood circulation, strengthen the walls of blood vessels and saturate tissues with oxygen.
Cosmetic procedures
Taking care of your legs is very important for varicose veins. However, you should avoid the following procedures:
- tattoo;
- hair loss using wax;
- sugaring;
- hair loss using cosmetics.
Such procedures are performed with heated devices that injure blood vessels and cause blood flow to the lower extremities. Tattooing does not solve aesthetic problems and can provoke the appearance of newly affected areas of veins. You can mask varicose veins with the help of sclerotherapy performed by a phlebologist. When taking care of the skin of your legs, it is better to use laser hair removal services or a regular razor.