What happens if they are left untreated?

If the venous failure is sufficiently maintained over time and the varicose veins are ones with a valvular failure, the sustained and increasing dilatation of the diseased veins will affect valves that originally had no problems. Signs of venous insufficiency may appear such as oedema (swelling) in areas of decline and changes in skin colour, which becomes ochre due to the deposition of haemoglobin, secondary to the tearing of the small veins. The most severe cases arise venous ulcers; these are open wounds on the skin, generally above the ankle caused by a lack of oxygenation in the skin due to the very high venous pressure sustained in the area. However, even these serious cases can be solved by closing the valves that do not work through a surgical procedure, therefore, solving the problem from the origin and in a definitive manner.