Varicose veins, a common vein condition, affects almost 35% of people Varicose veins are dark purple or blue, twisted, bulging veins near the skin’s surface. Although commonly found in the legs, any superficial vein can develop into a varicose vein.

As blood circulates through your body, it comes from the heart through the arteries and returns through your veins.

The blood in your lower extremities must work harder against gravity to return the blood up to your heart. The valves in your veins assist with this process. Your calves act as the muscle that squeezes to help the blood flow. When the valves are functioning poorly, it allows the blood to pool in the lower leg and causes varicose veins.

What are Varicose Veins?

Varicose veins are dark purple or blue, twisted, bulging veins near the skin’s surface. Although commonly found in the legs, any superficial vein can develop into a varicose vein.

As blood circulates through your body, it comes from the heart through the arteries and returns through your veins.

The blood in your lower extremities must work harder against gravity to return the blood up to your heart. The valves in your veins assist with this process. Your calves act as the muscle that squeezes to help the blood flow. When the valves are functioning poorly, it allows the blood to pool in the lower leg and causes varicose veins.

How you get Varicose Veins?

When the legs or abdomen have too much pressure due to obesity, pregnancy, or prolonged standing or sitting, it negatively affects the veins’ valves. This pressure prevents the blood from flowing freely, stretches the vein, and causes blood to pool in the veins. The pooled blood inside the veins causes them to become twisted and swell. The appearance of the swollen veins is a cord-like ropy look of varicose veins.

Who’s At Risk of Developing Varicose Veins?

Contributing factors for determining those at risk of developing varicose veins include gender, age, weight, pregnancy, history of deep vein thrombosis (DVT and blood clots), and standing or sitting for prolonged periods.

Varicose veins affect women 55% of women and 45% of men. By the time women turn 50, 41% will suffer from varicose veins. By the time men reach age 60, 42% will suffer from venous insufficiency.

If a woman is moderately overweight, she has a 50% increased risk of developing varicose veins. The risk of varicose veins increases to three times as likely to develop when a woman’s body mass index (BMI) is more than 30. Pregnancy increases the risk of developing spider and varicose veins.

How Does Heredity Affect Your Risk?

Almost 50 % of varicose vein patients have a family history of the disease. If you are female and one of your parents has varicose veins, your chance of developing varicose veins is about 60%. In comparison, if you are a male, your chance of developing varicose veins is 25%. Your chances of developing varicose veins are over 90% if both parents have the disease.

What Are the Risk Factors?

Aging

The older you get, the more wear and tear there is on the valves inside your veins. Over time, the valves do not work and allow blood to flow back into your veins, where it pools instead of flowing up to your heart.

  • Family history of venous insufficiency or blood clots
  • Because of hereditary factors, your chances of developing varicose veins increases.
  • Hormonal changes during puberty, menopause, or hormone replacement therapy
  • Hormonal changes during puberty, menopause, or hormone replacement therapy
  • Changes in your body’s hormones during various life stages can also be a factor in developing varicose veins.

Obesity

  • Carrying extra body weight places pressure on your veins.

Pregnancy

  • The amount of blood in your body increases when you are pregnant. Although this increased blood is good for the infant, it can enlarge your veins.
  • Standing or sitting for long periods
  • When you go for extended periods without movement, it affects blood’s ability to flow through your veins.
  • Other risk factors for varicose veins may include the use of oral birth control pills, constipation, and wearing clothing that’s too tight.

Symptoms of Varicose Veins

The number of symptoms of various veins ranges from having no symptoms to several, which includes the following:

  • Swelling,
  • Pain,
  • Itching,
  • Burning,
  • Heaviness,
  • Tiredness,
  • Skin discoloration,
  • Bleeding, resulting from a shower or minor trauma, and
  • Skin tears or ulceration, which indicates a very severe case.

Treatment for Varicose Veins

As the day progresses, varicose vein symptoms usually worsen. Wearing compression stockings and elevating the legs can help relieve the symptoms.

Compression Stockings

The standard treatment doctors prescribe to help alleviate the pain or varicose veins is to wear compression socks. Compression socks with a compression rating of 20-30 mmHg help to relieve aching and swelling. The pressure from the compression socks squeezes the veins and prevents blood from traveling down and pooling in the legs.

Ablation Therapy

If wearing compression stockings does not provide sufficient relief, ablation therapy is another option. Vascular surgeons can administer ablation therapy treatment in their offices. After cleaning and sterilizing your leg, the surgeon will numb your leg and insert a catheter into the vein. Then, the surgeon will place the tube through the vein, numbing the surrounding skin. Then, the surgeon will start the ablation catheter and treat the vein. When finished, the surgeon will wrap your leg with a compression bandage.

Sclerotherapy

Doctors also treat twisted varicose veins with sclerotherapy. This treatment involves advancing a small needle through the vein to inject sclerosant, which is a chemical that causes the vein to spasm or clot. The clot causes the varicose vein to disappear.

Does Having the Gene Mean You Will Develop Varicose Veins?

You have a greater risk of developing varicose veins if any of your blood relatives have a diagnosis or have ever had a diagnosis of venous disease. There is nothing you can do to prevent developing varicose veins entirely, but it doesn’t mean it will happen automatically.

Taking steps to become healthier, like exercising, eating a healthy diet, and losing extra weight, helps prevent new varicose veins or spider veins from forming. These lifestyle changes may also help your legs feel better by relieving pain and discomfort.