Varicose veins

Introduction

Varicose veins are swollen, irregular shaped veins that often develop in the legs, particularly on the calves. They occur when the vein wall weakens, causing the vein to dilate (widen). If this happens, valves in the veins that prevent blood flowing in the wrong direction (back down your legs) may stop working properly and affect circulation.

Varicose veins, in the legs, affect about 30% of adults at some point in their life. They tend to be more common in older women. Varicose veins usually develop gradually, and may run in families.

Symptoms

Varicose veins look swollen and stretched all the time. If you have varicose veins, you may not have any symptoms, other than the fact that you can see them. If you do have symptoms, they will tend to get worse gradually, over several years.

Symptoms that are commonly associated with varicose veins include:
aching, throbbing, or heavy legs which can be made worse by standing for a long time- they are also often worse at night, swollen ankles, permanent brownish-blue shiny skin discoloration around the veins, dry, itchy, or tingly skin over the vein which may lead to eczema (venous eczema), dark skin (stasis dermatitis) caused by a build up of waste products in the legs, and in some cases, the skin above the ankle may shrink (lipodermatosclerosis) because the fat underneath the skin becomes hard.Hot weather and standing for long periods of time can make your varicose veins feel uncomfortable, and can also make them look worse.

Sometimes, about a third of women with varicose veins experience increased pain and discomfort before their period each month. This is thought to be due to hormonal changes that can affect the elasticity (stretchiness) of the veins.

If you have varicose veins, minor injuries to the area may bleed more than normal and take longer to heal.

More severe symptoms of varicose veins are usually associated with complications such as infection, ulcers and, in rare cases, a vein may a rupture, causing a large amount of bleeding.