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Summary
On episode 581 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Dr. Mason Mandy, a board-certified surgeon specializing in chronic venous insufficiency and varicose veins who has performed over 10,000 vein procedures using minimally invasive techniques, and a graduate with honors of the U.S. Air Force Academy.
They walk through vein health as a continuum: spider veins, varicose veins, chronic venous insufficiency, and deep vein thrombosis are all stages of the same underlying problem rather than separate conditions.
Dr. Mandy explains what causes veins to fail, why the condition only gets worse without treatment, and how modern in-office procedures have replaced the old surgical vein stripping approach.
Links
- https://metroveincenters.com
Key Takeaways
- Spider veins, varicose veins, chronic venous insufficiency, and DVT are one continuum, not separate problems. Each is a different stage of the same underlying disease process, where blood that should only flow upward starts flowing backward under pressure.
- Spider veins are small, stretched veins under the skin. They are usually flat, purple or pink, and represent the mildest visible sign that a vein has been under too much pressure and stretched several times its normal size.
- Varicose veins are any bulging, feelable vein, not just the large ropey ones. They can bleed spontaneously or clot, which makes them more dangerous than spider veins even when they look small.
- Chronic venous insufficiency is the root cause behind most visible vein problems. Dr. Mandy compares it to a tree: the deep “truncal” veins are the trunk, varicose veins are the branches, and spider veins are the leaves, so treating the trunk resolves the branches and leaves.
- Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are the most dangerous end of the continuum. Sitting still for long periods (like an 18-hour flight) lets blood pool and clot in the leg; if part of that clot breaks off and travels to the lungs, it can be a life-threatening emergency.
- Prolonged sitting, obesity, and smoking are major preventable risk factors. All three injure the lining of the veins over time, alongside non-preventable factors like genetics and pregnancy.
- Vein disease only gets worse over time and will not reverse with lifestyle changes alone. Once the valves in a vein fail, no diet, exercise, or medication brings them back; only in-office treatment stops the backward blood flow.
- Modern vein treatment is quick, in-office, and requires no surgery. Procedures like radiofrequency ablation, medical injections, and VenaSeal typically take 10 minutes or less per vein, involve no cutting or stitches, and let most patients walk out and return to work the same day.
“Unfortunately, veins only get worse over time.”
Dr. Mason Mandy
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Episode Notes
Podcast: 40+ Fitness
Episode: 581
Published: 2023-03-14
Host: Allan Misner (aka Coach Allan), author of The Wellness Roadmap
Guest(s): Dr. Mason Mandy, a board-certified surgeon specializing in treatment of chronic venous insufficiency and related vein conditions, including varicose veins
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