Varicose Vein Treatments

Varicose Vein Treatment Varicose veins are swollen, twisted blood vessels that bulge just under the skin’s surface. They are blue or purple and usually appear in the legs, feet and ankles. They can be painful or itchy. Spider veins may surround varicose veins. Spider veins are smaller red or purple lines that appear close to the skin’s surface.

1.

What are veins?

A vein is a blood vessel that carries blood to your heart from tissues throughout your body.

When a vein works as it should, valves (flaps that open and close) inside the vein keep blood flowing in only one direction — toward the heart.

Veins can be damaged by disease and injury. During the aging process, veins naturally lose elasticity and become less flexible.

What is the difference between varicose veins and spider veins?

Varicose veins and spider veins are both types of venous disease, but they look different. Spider veins are smaller and thinner than varicose veins. They look like a red or blue spider webs or branches of a tree, and they are close to the skin’s surface.

What causes varicose veins?

Varicose veins occur when the walls of veins become weakened. As blood pressure in the vein increases, the weakened walls allow the vein to get bigger. As the vein stretches, the valves in the vein can’t work like they should. Sluggish blood backs up or pools in the vein, causing the vein to swell, bulge and twist.

Vein walls and valves can become weak for several reasons, including: ● ● ● ● ●

Hormones.

The aging process.

Excess weight.

Restrictive clothing.

Pressure inside the vein due to standing for long periods.

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