In this article you will learn

• What are varicose veins?
• How do varicose veins form?
• What are the risk factors?

Varicose veins are veins that have become abnormally enlarged. They often stand out because of their size and color. They can be blue, dark purple or flesh-colored, and often bulge or protrude from the skin in twisted masses. They are most likely to appear on the inside of the legs or on the backs of the calves. Varicose veins are more common in women than in men. There are a number of symptoms associated with varicose veins, including leg pain.

Hemorrhoids are a form of varicose veins that form in the area around the anus and/or the vagina. They are particularly common during pregnancy.

Smaller varicose veins are sometimes known as spider veins. They usually appear closer to the surface of the skin and are red or blue in color. They have the appearance of short, jagged lines and may look like spider webs or tree branches, hence the name. Spider veins may be seen on the face or legs and can cover small or very large areas of skin.

The heart provides nutrient-rich blood to the body. Arteries transport the blood from the heart to all parts and tissues. Veins then transport the blood back to the heart to be re-oxygenated.

Veins are equipped with valves that ensure blood only travels toward the heart, which prevents blood from flowing backward. If one of these valves weakens, blood may leak back into the vein. This would allow the blood to collect there and result in a condition known as venous insufficiency. As blood pools in the vein, the vein enlarges, resulting in a varicose vein.

Spider veins may also be the result of a blood backup. They may also be caused by genetic factors, hormone changes or sun exposure.

Varicose veins and vein problems in general are more common among women than men, though this is not to say that men do not share in this experience. Approximately 40 to 45 percent of American men suffer from some form of vein problem. The figure is between 50 to 55 percent for American women. Varicose veins are also more common among the elderly, affecting 1 in 2 people over the age of 50.

Many factors affect your likelihood of developing spider veins or varicose veins. Some of these include:

1. Genetics. Inherited factors such as having close family members with vein problems can increase your risk. It’s also possible to be born with weak vein valves.
2. Age. As age increases, so does the risk of developing varicose veins.
3. Hormonal changes. This can be due to pregnancy or menopause. Medication containing estrogen and progesterone (as found in birth control medication) may also increase your risk.
4. Pregnancy. This increases the volume of blood in the body and can cause enlarged veins. The uterus also expands, putting increased pressure on the veins. Varicose veins usually begin to improve around three months after delivery. Varicose veins may become a greater problem, however, with each additional pregnancy.
5. Obesity.
6. Leg Injury.
7. Prolonged standing.
8. Sun exposure. This can cause spider veins, particularly in the cheeks and/or nose of fair-skinned people.

Varicose veins can be difficult to deal with, though treatments are available. It’s always best to speak with your doctor or healthcare professional for the best advice on how to deal with varicose veins and spider veins.

• The major varicose vein causes involve anything that puts excessive pressure on your legs, including obesity, standing for long periods of time, or tight hosiery.
• Paying attention to varicose veins prevention methods, including exercising regularly, eating healthy, and keeping legs elevated can help prevent these unsightly problems from developing.
• Be aware that deep vein thrombosis can develop in your legs and can cause life-threatening complications

While you might assume your varicose veins are no problem as long as you keep your legs covered, you might be wrong. Varicose veins are sometimes just a cosmetic problem but they can also lead to greater complications, cause chronic pain, or suggest serious problems with your body’s circulation. Varicose vein prevention is, therefore, a great idea but first you need to know what causes them in the first place.

Varicose Vein Formation

As you may already know, varicose veins are bulging, bluish looking veins that are easily visible. The veins look twisted and gnarled like old tree limbs under your skin. To understand what causes these unsightly bulges, you need to understand a little bit about how your circulatory system works.

Veins and arteries are the two main networks that carry blood through your body. Your arteries take the blood away from your heart while the veins send it back to the heart. When you do a lot of standing, the veins in your legs have a harder time returning the blood to your heart because they are pushing against gravity. Your leg muscles and valves within your leg veins help the process move smoothly.

The bad news is that when you begin to get older, those valves that helped keep the blood moving upward aren’t as strong as they were when you were younger. As a result, some of the blood will fall back down and start pooling within your leg veins. The blood has nowhere to go so it builds up in the veins and makes them bulge.

If you’re wondering why the veins look blue, that’s an easy question to answer, too. When blood leaves the heart, it is full of oxygen which is delivered to the different parts of the body. By the time the blood reaches the veins for its return trip to the heart, all of the oxygen is gone and that’s what gives the blood a blue color.

Varicose vein causes include anything that increases the pressure on your legs, including standing for long periods of time, pregnancy, or obesity.

Tips for Varicose Vein Prevention

You can actually take steps now to stop the development of varicose veins. For example, women should avoid wearing high heels and tight pantyhose. These items might look sexy now but they are one of the leading varicose vein causes. Keep your diet healthy and low in salt so you can reduce your blood pressure. Staying at a appropriate weight, exercising, and avoiding a single standing or sitting position for long periods of time are also important. You should also try to keep your legs elevated whenever possible.

A Major Risk

While varicose veins are troublesome and have the potential to cause other problems, another risk is deep vein thrombosis. You don’t necessarily need to have varicose veins to develop this problem but it could put you at greater risk.

With deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot develops in one of your deep leg veins usually as a result of sitting for long periods of time. If that clot breaks free, it can travel to the lungs or can cause blockages in other parts of the body leading to strokes and heart attacks.

In this article you will learn:

• What are varicose veins?
• What are symptoms of varicose veins
• How to prevent varicose veins during pregnancy

Varicose veins are veins that swell up and that may appear to bulge at the surface of your skin. They can sometimes appear as purple, blue squiggly veins and they are most common in the legs, although they may appear in the area of the vulva or elsewhere. Hemorrhoids, which may also occur during pregnancy, are varicose veins that occur in the rectal area.

Varicose veins may cause little or no discomfort, although they may make your legs ache and feel heavy. The skin in the immediate vicinity of a varicose vein may also throb, itch, or it might feel like it is burning. The symptoms of varicose veins tend to be worse if you have been on your feet all day.

Many women can develop varicose veins during pregnancy, or if they are already present, they may get worse during the term of pregnancy. As the pregnancy develops, the uterus grows. This puts additional pressure on a large vein which sits on the on the right side of the body, known as the inferior vena cava. The knock on effect is that there is an increase in pressure in the leg veins. Veins are the blood vessels whose function is to return blood to your heart from the extremities. Therefore, the blood being carried in the leg veins is working against gravity.

The volume of blood in your body rises during pregnancy, which adds to the work load of your veins. In addition, levels of progesterone rise, which causes the blood vessel walls to relax.

Risk Factors

You may be more likely to suffer from varicose veins if you have other family members who have had them. Varicose veins are more common in women than in men. If you have previously had varicose veins during pregnancy, you will be likely to suffer them in successive pregnancies, and unfortunately, the condition is likely to be worse with each pregnancy, and as age increases. Carrying twins (or more), standing for prolonged periods or being overweight are all factors which can make you more susceptible to varicose veins.

Problems associated with varicose veins tend to get better after you give birth. This is particularly the case if you didn’t suffer from varicose veins prior to your pregnancy. If your varicose veins don’t improve, there are a variety of options as to treatment.

Varicose veins may be preventable, or at least you should be able to minimize them. Here’s how:

• Daily exercise can help to improve circulation. Try a brisk walk.
• Try to keep within a healthy weight range during pregnancy.
• Try to keep your keep your legs and feet elevated whenever possible. Use a box or a stool to rest your feet on when you are seated. When you are lying down, keep your feet elevated with a pillow.
• Try not to cross your ankles or legs when you are seated as it can hinder circulation. Also do not stand or sit for extended periods without moving around.
• Remember that the inferior vena cava lies on the right side of your body. Lying on the left side of your body will relieve the vein from the weight of your uterus, and this in turn will reduce the pressure on the veins in your feet and legs.
• Try to sleep on the left side of your body with your feet raised slightly on a pillow. For added comfort, put a pillow behind your back to help to keep you tilted to the left.
• Wear special support tights or hose. Your doctor or health care provider may advise you to use prescription-strength hose, which are also known as compression stockings. They can be very effective in improving circulation and are available from pharmacies and medical supply stores. These hose are thicker and tighter than standard pantyhose. They are tightest at the ankle and they get looser the higher up the leg they go.

The effect is that they make blood flow up the leg easier as it makes its way back to the heart. Prescription strength hose can help prevent swelling, and this can stop varicose veins from worsening. The best way to use them is to put them on before you get out of bed. If you can put them on while you are still lying down, you can prevent the blood from pooling in your legs. Once you have them on, keep them on all day. Although prescription-strength hose can be a little uncomfortable, particularly in warm weather, they can help prevent varicose veins which can be extremely uncomfortable and unsightly.

• Vein sclerotherapy procedures involve having an injection of salt solution injected directly into the varicose veins or spider veins of the patient. This is used to remove or prevent varicose veins and spider veins. This solution irritates the lining of the blood vessels which makes them stick together. Over time, the affected blood vessels turn into scar tissue and fade from sight
• Ask your vascular medicine specialist or dermatoligist if this is right for you
• The Procedure: takes between 15-30 minutes using a very fine needle to inject directly into the vein, you will feel some discomfort for a few minutes, is between 50-80 percent effective

If you are trying to prevent varicose veins or if you want to eliminate the veins altogether, you may want to consider having a procedure called sclerotherapy. Vein sclerotherapy involves having an injection of salt solution injected directly into the veins. The solution then irritates the lining of the blood vessels which makes them swell and stick together. The blood then clots and over time the vessels that have been affected eventually turn into scar tissue and fades from sight. This procedure of sclerotherapy spider veins has been in use since the 1930s.

In order to find out if vein sclerotherapy is for you, you will need to visit a vascular medicine specialist or dermatologist. Based on their initial consultations, they will be able to tell you if vein sclerotherapy will work for you in helping to prevent varicose veins. Sclerotherapy varicose veins procedures are not available for people who are pregnant or bedridden. If you are on birth control pills you can have sclerotherapy spider veins procedures. Additionally, if you have had trouble in the past with blood clots the doctor will have to decide whether or not you are eligible for sclerotherapy varicose vein treatment. If the overall health of the area needing treated is healthy, you may be eligible. Sclerotherapy veins that could be used in the future for bypass procedures will normally not be considered.

The procedure is performed by using a very fine needle that is injected directly into the varicose vein. The salt solution is injected into the vein and you will feel some discomfort and cramping for a few minutes. The larger the vein, the more discomfort you will feel when the solution is injected into it. The entire procedure takes between 15 to 30 minutes. The severity of your varicose veins will determine how many injection sessions you will need to have. Performed in the doctor’s office, you will not be allowed to do any aerobic exercises for at least two days after each procedure. Side effects include but are not limited to: bruising; itching; red areas at the injection site; inflammation; and allergic reactions.

Sclerotherapy is between 50 to 80 percent effective in eliminating varicose veins. Less than 10% of the people who have this procedure done do not have positive results. When this happens, the doctor can try an alternative salt solution in their veins. Spider veins respond to the treatment in three to six weeks while larger veins respond in three to four months. If the treatment takes, the veins will not reappear. If they do reappear, you will have to have more treatments.

Your insurance coverage may or may not cover the sclerotherapy procedure. If you are having severe pain and chronic swelling in your legs, your insurance may offer you some form of reimbursement. If you are having the procedure done simply for cosmetic purposes, your insurance probably will not cover any of the cost of the procedure. Double check with your insurance company before you have the procedure done in either case to make sure that it will be covered. The insurance company may require a letter from your physician regarding medical necessity and the nature of the treatment you are considering.

• Varicose veins aren’t a serious problem to most but deep varicose veins can have serious health risks for some
• Varicose vein development: When valves don’t properly move the blood out of the vein, the blood stays in the vein causing it to swell which creates varicose veins
• Treatment: losing weight, exercising, sclerotherapy veins treatment, laser surgery, vein stripping, endoscopic vein surgery

Varicose veins may not seem like a serious health problem to many people and is usually viewed as simply being unsightly, but the truth is, without treating varicose veins you could end up increasing your health risks, especially if you already have coronary heart disease or narrowing/hardening arteries. According to the Mayo Clinic, deep varicose veins can sometimes develop blood clots. If these clots break loose and travel through your body, you could suffer a stroke or heart attack.

How do Varicose Veins Develop?

Before talking about treatment for varicose veins, it might be helpful to discuss how the problem begins. The University of Maryland Medical Center explains that varicose veins are defined as swollen and sometimes painful veins that contain too much blood.

The cause of the problem is improperly functioning valves. Normally, the valves are responsible for moving blood out of the vein and towards the heart. When they do not work, the blood remains in the vein and pools. Over time, this causes the vein to swell. Although varicose veins are most commonly found in the legs, they can also develop in other parts of the body. As the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute points out, hemorrhoids are a form of varicose veins that occur around the anus.

You are more likely to develop this health problem if you must stand for long periods of time, are overweight, or have a congenital circulatory system problem.

Treating the Problem

Treatment for varicose veins usually begins with some self-care routines. In many cases, losing weight and exercising can help reduce some of the factors that lead to these problem veins in the first place. Avoiding standing or sitting for extended periods can also be helpful. Even if these measures do not eliminate your current varicose veins, they can reduce pain associated with them and can prevent developement of varicose veins. According to the Mayo Clinic, the following procedures may also be good ideas for treatment.

Of course there are other treatments for varicose veins that are available. Sclerotherapy veins treatment is an increasingly popular option. With this treatment, a physician causes the affected vein to close by injecting a special solution into it directly. No surgery is required, and the procedure is done in the office. Some veins may require multiple injections. This procedure is only done for small to medium-sized varicose veins. Laser surgery can have a similar impact on small varicose veins and does not require the use of needles.

The greatest health risks and most discomfort are normally associated with larger or deeper varicose veins. There are a number of treatments for varicose veins available for these cases as well. For example, a catheter can be inserted into the vein then heated. When the catheter is removed, the heat causes the vein to collapse.

Vein stripping and endoscopic vein surgery are two more significant treatment possibilities. With vein stripping, the vein is actually removed from the body through a number of incisions made near the affected area. With endoscopic vein surgery, the procedure is done in a similar way; however, an endoscopic camera is also inserted so that the physician can get a better look at the problem; usually, this method is only used when varicose veins have developed painful ulcers.

• Varicose veins are enlarged blue or dark purple veins above the surface of the skin. They appear twisted and are usually found on the inside of the legs or on the backside of the calves
• Some symptoms of varicose veins: swelling of legs, skin darkening on legs, rash or fomed sores
  Some risk factors of varicose vein development: sitting/standing for a long time, being overweight, heredity, being a woman, being pregnant
  How to prevent varicose veins: avoid too much pressure on legs, eat a nutritious high-fiber diet, avoid wearing tight clothing
• Spider veins are smaller and are located closer to the skin surface. They are red or blue in color and mostly occur on the legs but can also be found on the face. They vary in size and have shot, jagged lines that often look like a spider web

Varicose veins are veins that have become enlarged and are usually blue or dark purple in color. These veins are above the surface of the skin because the are most often swollen and bulging. They can also appear to look twisted or snake-like. Varicose veins generally appear on the inside of the legs or on the backside of the calves. Although it is not as common, they can occur anywhere on the legs from the ankle to the groin. The development of varicose veins is due to venous insufficiency. As the heart pumps the blood in the circulatory system, the arteries carry the oxygen filled blood throughout the entire body and then the veins carry the oxygen poor blood back to the heart and the cycle repeats. There are valves in the veins that have flaps that help manage the one way flow of blood preventing it to flow backwards as it moves up the leg. The valves can become inefficient or weak causing blood to leak back into the vein and pool there. As a result, the blood stays in the vein enlarging it and it becomes varicose.

Spider veins are smaller than the varicose veins, but similar as they are located closer to the skin surface. Spider veins appear red or blue in color. They mostly develop on the legs, however they also can occur on the face. Spider veins vary in their size as they can cover an area that is large or just in an area that is small. They have very short, often jagged lines that can be described as if they look like a spider web or a branch of a tree.

For some people varicose veins are just a matter of cosmetic concern. But for others varicose veins can cause quite an amount of discomfort with aching pain. Some general symptoms of varicose veins are:

• Heaviness, numbness and cramps in the legs
• The skin darkening on the legs
• Pain, burning and/or aching in the legs
• Swellings in the legs
• Irritated rash or formed sores
• Dryness and itching around the veins

According to recent research, about 50 to 55% of American women and from 40 to 45% of American men suffer from some type of vein problem. Varicose veins is the most common vein disease. It affects 1 out of 2 people that are over the age of fifty. Varicose veins treatment can be self-help measures and/or procedures done by the doctor to remove or close veins, as the varicose veins might get worse without treatment. Even though the exact cause of varicose veins is unknown, there are some risk factors which contribute to development of this problem. Some of the risk factors are:

• Sitting or standing for a long time.
• Overweight
• Low physical activity
• Smoking
• Family heredity of varicose veins
• Women have a higher risk of getting varicose veins than the men.

Pregnant women have an even higher risk of getting varicose veins. However the veins often return back to normal state within a year after childbirth. Women with multiple pregnancies may often get permanent varicose veins. While not all of the varicose veins can be prevented, there are some advices you should follow to reduce the chances of new varicose veins development. Some general preventative measures are:

•Weight control to avoid too much pressure on the legs.
• Exercises for the legs and vein strength and circulation improvement.
• Not crossing the legs while sitting.
• Elevating the legs as much as possible while resting.

• Not sitting or standing for long time periods. If sitting for a long time is necessary, standing up and moving for every 30 minutes will be useful for the circulation. If standing for a long time is necessary, shifting the weight from one leg to another every couple of minutes will help ease the pressure on the legs.
• Do not wear tight clothing that can constrict the waist, legs or groin area.
• Eat a nutritious, high fiber diet avoiding high salted foods. This includes fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
If you are experiencing varicose veins and spider veins, you can help yourself with some products that are sold in local pharmacies. However, if you are having pain and limited mobility, it is important to seek the advice of a doctor who specializes in the treatment of varicose veins and vein disease. There are many options that may benefit you like sclerotherapy veins treatment and your doctor can help you choose which treatment may work best for you.