The most important risk factors for varicose veins are:
Varicose veins may not cause any pain. Signs you may have varicose veins include:
When painful signs and symptoms occur, they may include:
Spider veins are similar to varicose veins, but they’re smaller. Spider veins are found closer to the skin’s surface and are often red or blue.
Spider veins occur on the legs, but can also be found on the face. They vary in size and often look like a spider’s web.
Our veins return blood from the arms and legs to the heart. Because veins work against the force of gravity in legs, they have valves that allow forward blood flow, but not reverse. Contraction (squeezing) of the leg muscles pumps the blood towards the heart while the valves in the veins prevent backflow towards the feet. If these valves lose their function, the blood leaks (reflux) toward feet, accumulate in thin-walled superficial veins causing them to enlarge and become what we call ‘’varicose veins’’.