by Katarzyna Radzka

Created on: July 13, 2010

Varicose veins tend to appear at the back of the legs, making you feel uncomfortable wearing short shorts or skirts. They are uncomfortable, painful and frustrating to have and getting rid of them is difficult. They are usually blue or purple in color and can be lumpy and thick. Women have a higher risk of developing varicose veins compared to men.

Varicose veins are caused by a number of things.

Inheritance is one of the causes of varicose veins. If our family has a history of varicose veins than it is possible that we are going to get them too. It comes down to our genes. And while most of the time varicose veins are not dangerous or painful, they do cause discomfort to some people.

Damaged valves that are inside the veins can also cause varicose veins. The valves don’t allow the blood to be pumped all the way to the heart and instead it gets sent to the veins. This can lead to varicose veins because the pumping of the blood is having a difficult time fighting with gravity.

Pregnancy can also cause varicose veins. There is a lot more pressure on the legs from the weight of the baby and the mother which can increase the blood volume. In this case the result can be varicose veins. Your hormones during pregnancy can also have an impact on whether you develop varicose veins or not.

The older you get the more likely you are to get varicose veins. Age causes your veins to become weaker and more stretched out. This means that the blood isn’t circulating through your body as it should be, and it causes varicose veins.

Your age, weight, genetics and lifestyle all play a role in whether you are going to develop varicose veins. Age is not something that you can control, but your weight and lifestyle are. Make sure you’re at a healthy weight and you don’t stand or sit for prolonged periods of time, and you can help reduce the risk of varicose veins.

Some forms of treatment for varicose veins includes the use of compression stockings, laser surgeries and vein stripping among others. It’s unlikely that you will need a hospital stay and you can have the treatments done as an outpatient. Once you start looking after yourself with regards to your weight, the amount of exercise you do and how much you relax your legs will help you ease the discomfort of varicose veins and prevent them from worsening.

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