Raised pressure in these veins also encourages the development of spider veins and discoloured areas which look like bruises. Varicose veins and spider veins often run in families and there may be a hereditary component.

Hormonal factors including puberty, pregnancy, menopause, the use of birth control pills, and HRT affect the disease. Pregnancy: It is very common for pregnant women to develop varicose veins during the first trimester. Pregnancy causes increases in hormone levels and blood volume which in turn cause veins to enlarge.

In addition, the enlarged uterus causes increased pressure on the veins. Varicose veins due to pregnancy often improve within 3 months after delivery. However, with successive pregnancies, abnormal veins are more likely to remain.

Other predisposing factors include ageing, standing for long periods of time, obesity and leg injury. Many people have no symptoms at all from their varicose veins, except for the fact that they are noticeable and their appearance can be embarrassing.

Other than cosmetic embarrassment, the most common symptoms of varicose veins are aching, discomfort and heaviness of the legs, which are usually worse at the end of the day. Sometimes the ankle can swell, too. These symptoms are not medically serious, but can be treated if they are sufficiently troublesome.

Although varicose veins can get worse over the years, this often happens very slowly. In a few people the high pressure in the veins causes damage to the skin near the ankle, which can become brown in colour, sometimes with scarred white areas.

Eczema a red skin rash can develop. If these skin changes are allowed to progress, or if the skin is injured, an ulcer may develop. Skin changes are therefore a good reason for going to see your GP and for referral to a specialist.

In many areas there are special leg ulcer bandaging clinics, supervised by the skin specialists and run by specially trained nurses.

Your GP may refer you there, rather than to a surgeon in the first instance. Most varicose veins originate from leaking valves at groin level or behind the knee.

It is important to accurately locate the site of the valve leaks. At your outpatient appointment the doctor will use a small probe to assess your veins, this is called continuous wave Doppler. The probe can detect the direction of blood flow which is audible, both in the skin veins and in the deep veins.

It indicates where the veins have come from and helps in the planning of any operation that might be required. This allows other veins to take over. Most procedures for varicose veins are minimally invasive and do not require a long recovery. Your provider may recommend that you avoid being in the sun or that you wear sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher after some procedures to help prevent scars and skin changes.

Research for your health. The NHLBI is committed to advancing science and translating discoveries into clinical practice to promote the prevention and treatment of heart and vascular diseases, including varicose veins.

Your healthcare provider may recommend compression therapy alone or, more likely, after a procedure to remove or close off varicose veins. Compression therapy involves special elastic stockings or compression bandages that put gentle pressure on the legs to help prevent swelling.

For some people, especially those who have to sit or stand for long periods, compression may help relieve symptoms such as pain, swelling, and heaviness in the legs. If you are pregnant, your provider may recommend compression hose.

Compression therapy only relieves symptoms. Most providers now recommend procedures to correct the reflux problem that is causing your varicose veins. After you have a procedure to remove or close off your varicose veins, your provider will probably recommend wearing compression stockings for at least a week.

Compression stockings may also help heal leg ulcers or sores that are a complication of varicose veins. Because vein problems are long-term issues, your provider may suggest that you continue to wear compression stockings.

For some people, compression stockings can cause discomfort, itching, skin irritation, or swelling. Varicose Veins. Varicose Veins Varicose Veins. Language switcher English Español. IN THIS ARTICLE View More. View Less. Call if you see any bleeding from varicose veins.

This is a medical emergency. What are the symptoms? Varicose veins are swollen, twisted veins just under the skin. They can look like blue or purple squiggles in your legs.

Medical Animation Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media. All rights reserved. Symptoms of varicose veins include: Bulging, bluish veins Itching or burning discomfort around the veins Skin color changes around the veins Swelling in the legs Aching pain in the legs A feeling of heaviness in the legs and feet Nighttime leg cramps Sometimes varicose veins can limit your activities.

How are varicose veins diagnosed? What causes varicose veins? See also Overview of Dermatitis. Stasis dermatitis occurs in people who have read more causes a red, scaling, itchy rash or a brown area that may be more apparent on light skin than dark skin, usually on the inside of the leg above the ankle.

Scratching or a minor injury, particularly resulting from shaving, can cause bleeding or development of a painful ulcer that does not heal. Ulcers may also bleed.

Varicose veins can usually be seen bulging under the skin, particularly when people are standing. Ultrasonography can identify varicose veins but is not usually done unless doctors think there may also be malfunction of the deep veins see Chronic Venous Insufficiency and Post-thrombotic Syndrome Chronic Venous Insufficiency and Post-Thrombotic Syndrome Chronic venous insufficiency is damage to leg veins that prevents blood from flowing normally.

Malfunction of the deep veins is suggested by changes in the skin or by swollen ankles. The ankles swell because fluid accumulates in the tissue under the skin—a condition called edema Swelling Swelling is due to excess fluid in the tissues.

The fluid is predominantly water. Swelling may be widespread or confined to a single limb or part of a limb. Swelling is often in the feet and Varicose veins alone do not cause edema.

Although individual varicose veins can be removed or eliminated by injection therapy or surgery, the disorder cannot be cured. Thus, treatment mainly relieves symptoms, improves appearance, and prevents complications. Elevating the legs—by lying down or using a footstool when sitting—relieves the symptoms of varicose veins but does not prevent new varicose veins from forming.

Usually, varicose veins that appear during pregnancy largely subside during the 2 or 3 weeks after delivery. During this time, they should not be treated. Elastic stockings support hose compress the veins and prevent them from stretching and hurting.

People who do not want surgery or injection therapy or who have a medical condition that prevents them from having these treatments may choose to wear elastic stockings.

Injection therapy seals the veins so that blood can no longer flow through them. A solution, such as sodium tetradecyl sulfate , is injected into the vein to irritate it and produce a blood clot thrombus. In essence, this procedure produces a harmless kind of superficial venous thrombosis Superficial Venous Thrombosis Superficial venous thrombosis is inflammation and clotting in a superficial vein, usually in the arms or legs.

Healing of the blood clot leads to formation of scar tissue, which blocks the vein. However, the blood clot may dissolve instead of becoming scar tissue, and the varicose vein then reopens. Also, new varicose veins often develop. Sclerotherapy techniques also use special bandaging that reduces the size of the blood clot by compressing the diameter of the injected vein.

A smaller blood clot is more likely to form scar tissue, as desired. A further advantage of this technique is that adequate compression virtually eliminates the pain that usually accompanies the vein irritation caused by the technique. Laser therapy is also used for the treatment of varicose veins.

This treatment uses a highly focused, continuous stream of high-intensity light to cut or destroy tissue. Laser treatment is sometimes used when a person desires cosmetic improvement.

Surgery is no longer used as a routine treatment for varicose veins. When surgery is done, it aims to remove as many of the varicose veins as possible. However, surgeons try to preserve the saphenous vein.

This vein is the longest superficial vein in the body, extending from the ankle to the groin, where it joins the femoral vein the main deep vein in the leg. Surgeons try to preserve the saphenous vein because it can be used for bypass procedures in case blockage ever develops in the heart vessels or other major body vessels.

If the saphenous vein must be removed, a procedure called stripping is done.