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How To Reduce Varicose Veins

Varicose veins make your legs look ugly.

Although varicose veins certainly lack popularity -- they are right down there with cellulite for the least desirable bodily attribute -- they are actually quite "popular" in that a great many people have them.

Up to 30 million Americans have these ropey, bulging veins, usually on the legs. Women age 30 and older are most commonly affected, but no one is immune. Even Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones "can't get no satisfaction" -- he reportedly has calves crisscrossed by them.

There are things you can do to reduce them:

• Do regular exercise. Walking, running, cycling & swimming keep blood vessels healthy.
• Stick to a high-fibre & low-salt diet.
• Kick off the high heels.
• Avoid tight-fitting clothings or undergarments that restrict blood flow at the waist, groin & legs (e.g. girdles, stockings & socks).
• If elastic stockings are recommended, wear them before getting out of bed in the morning.
• Don't leave legs crossed or bent for a long period.
• If work requires prolonged standing or sitting, move & stretch those legs, rotate ankles & wiggle the toes once in a while.
• Do leg stretching exercises daily.
• Raise legs above the level of the heart whenever possible.
• Rest those legs on pillows while sleeping.
• Stop smoking

Although varicose veins aren't usually considered a significant health problem, they can make life miserable. "Varicose veins shouldn't be viewed as only a cosmetic concern," said Dr. Alan Hirsch, a specialist in vascular medicine at the University of Minnesota. Often, the discomfort over the veins' appearance is equalled by the aching pain they can cause, particularly after a long day of sitting or standing. In addition, the veins may signal a higher risk for other more serious blood vessel disorders.

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Fortunately, treatments for varicose veins are much more effective than those for cellulite. Traditional "vein-stripping" surgery remains a sure way to get rid of these unsightly blue tangles. In addition, newer and less invasive techniques are almost as effective without requiring a hospital stay or lengthy recovery. Although herbal supplements claiming to rid the legs of varicose veins probably won't help, self-help measures such as wearing compression stockings and getting regular exercise can ease pain and may prevent veins from getting worse.

Dammed blood

Physicians do not really know what causes varicose veins, but most believe that family history plays a role. If your mother or father had them, there's a good chance you will, too. The reason may be linked to an inherited tendency to develop veins that stretch too much, have defective valves or a combination of both.

To understand why, consider the role that veins play. They return blood to the heart. The relatively low blood pressure in veins means that blood in them moves sluggishly -- especially in the legs, where the downward pull of gravity makes the veins' job literally an uphill battle, which is why varicose veins usually occur here.

Muscle contractions in the leg help push blood upward through the veins. But when there's little muscle action -- such as when you're sitting or standing still for long periods -- there's not enough force to keep blood coursing steadily upward.

To keep blood from flowing backward, veins have built-in one-way valves that temporarily dam up the river of blood. Each leg has hundreds of these tiny valves. And normally, they do a good job holding the blood until muscle action gets things moving again.

With age, however, veins can become more elastic or valves less efficient. The result can be that the valves don't close properly and blood can leak backward, causing blood to pool and the vein to enlarge and elongate in that area. When this happens near the surface of the skin, the veins' deep-blue color and ballooned-out shape produce varicose veins' familiar appearance (varicose comes from the Latin root "varix," which means twisted).

A variety of factors, such as obesity and injury, may trigger these vein changes in those predisposed to them, says Rooke. Women are likelier to get varicose veins because female hormones can relax vein walls; other contributing factors include pregnancy and childbirth.

Varicose Vein Treatments

Varicose Vein Treatments include surgery and cremes, you can find comparisons of varicose vein treatments here.