Varicose veins are veins that show on the skin and look like rope or twisted cord. They can occur anyway in the body but are more prominent on the legs. The reason for varicose veins is simple; a person stand walk and run, the bloods flows down from the heart to the legs through the arteries and is returned via the veins. The veins have valves that stop blood from flowing backwards as we must remember that when we are standing or walking or running, the force of gravity is pulling the blood which is being pumped up through the veins downwards. Once the valves become weak the veins start to bulge because of the blood accumulation and these bulging veins are called varicose veins in the medical world. The word varicose is taken from Latin and means gnarled and that is what varicose veins look like. There is another form of thin veins that one can see on the body that look like the fine branches of a tree and these are called spider veins.

There are several factors that cause varicose veins which are; age, obesity, standing for long periods of time and genetics. Women are more prone to getting varicose veins then men. There could be several reasons for this, like pregnancy, taking birth control pills, hormonal changes and also constant use of high heeled shoes can also be a cause of varicose veins.

At times varicose veins can become painful and most people would advice one to put their feet up and let gravity take its course and help the blood reach the upper torso of the body. Another treatment is to wear compression stockings for women and for men also there are compression leg bands. Avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time. It would also be a good idea to put your feet up on a pillow or cushion when sleeping.

In case the varicose veins become too painful or one feels they are causing other physical problems medical advice should be sought. If a woman develops varicose veins during pregnancy they should ease off and disappear in about three months after delivery. There are many medical cures for varicose veins but one should be careful in selecting which treatment one wants to get. Don’t fall for 100% cure and any other advertising jazz as curing varicose veins can be quite a costly procedure and there is no guarantee that they will disappear for good. To set the record straight what is the physician going to do. Simply try and shutdown the veins and cause them to collapse and not be visible. But the circulation of the blood is going to continue and other veins will be affected. So you cannot shutdown all the veins in the legs. Surgery or removal of varicose veins only becomes a must if they are causing skin ulcers. Then those veins need to be shutdown.

The best cure for varicose veins is through prevention; avoid sitting and standing for long periods, exercise to keep the blood circulation going, minimize use of high heels, don’t get overweight and stick with a healthy diet, don’t cross your legs while sitting. These are some of the precautions one can take to avoid getting varicose veins. If one does happen to have them then wearing compression stockings, make sure you get the right size as they should not be too tight and should not put too much pressure on the legs. One wants them to press the veins but not cut off the circulation. Rubbing the veins and applying any topical medication or cream can help one can also take a painkiller to ease off the pain in case they hurt and easing the legs up is going to help.