Beyond Cosmetic Concerns: 3 Worrisome Symptoms of Bulging Varicose Veins 

Bulging varicose veins can make you want to wear long pants or thick stockings, and avoid sunwear or swimwear, but they aren’t necessarily a risk to your health. What you should be aware of are additional symptoms that can signal reasons to be concerned.

According to Dr. Shawn Ahmed at Apex Endovascular in Fort Collins, Colorado, you should see a vascular specialist if your bulging varicose veins display serious symptoms that could mean you’re at risk for a dangerous blood clot.

Varicose vein basics

Varicose veins show up when the valve inside a vein is damaged, allowing what should be a one-way flow of blood to leak backwards and pool behind the valve, usually on the lower legs. You may first see what are commonly called spider veins, thin red or purple tracings showing where capillaries (your smallest veins) have become blocked. 

When larger veins are affected, the result is bulging, twisted blue or purple veins. Like spider veins, these are usually not a serious condition, and the only reason for treatment would be for cosmetic reasons.

While most varicose veins aren’t dangerous, there are additional symptoms you should watch for that could indicate that a blood clot has formed in one of the deeper veins in your leg (deep vein thrombosis or DVT.) In cases of DVT, a clot can break free and travel back up your body, getting stuck in the lungs and causing a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism.

3 worrying symptoms of bulging varicose veins

Bulging veins are typically not a problem, but you need to see a vein specialist if any of the following apply:

1. Pain/heaviness

If your legs hurt, ache, or feel heavy, you should have your varicose veins checked out. Your doctor may want to perform tests to make sure blood flow in your legs is sufficient. Pain can be a sign of a blood clot.

2. Heat/swelling/redness

If your varicose veins feel hot to the touch, or if there’s redness or swelling around your veins, you also have cause for concern. Get a doctor’s opinion immediately to ensure you aren’t at risk for DVT.

3. Burst veins/ulcers

A varicose vein can burst if pressure builds up too much. A vein that’s hard, swollen, and starts to split open is a medical emergency, so you should head to the ER. Venous ulcers that form over a varicose vein means you need an urgent doctor’s appointment to ensure healing is unimpeded and that your flesh doesn’t become septic.

What to do if you’re worried about varicose veins

Dr. Ahmed offers multiple treatments for varicose veins, ranging from procedures that seal off problematic veins and redirect blood flow to minimally invasive surgery that removes a bad vein as an outpatient procedure. 

To learn more about varicose veins and when you should be worried, schedule a consultation with the team at Apex Endovascular by calling 970-508-8439 or by booking an appointment online.