Veins are clearly an important part of our body’s make up.  We need these veins in order to transport blood to and from the heart to the rest of the body.  Sometimes, these veins become unsightly when they become obvious through our skin.

Varicose veins affect about 19% of men and 36% of women.  Now, varicosities are the thickened, twisted or dilated parts of the vein.  When there is a defective or deformed valve, you begin seeing the veins show through your skin and they are not like your normal veins.  They are tiny channels and usually reddish or purple. 

There are some factors that can aggravate a varicose vein such as pregnancy, prolonged standing, obesity, straining, age and perhaps prior stress or trauma from surgery. 

Varicose veins are not only unpleasant to look at, but they can be quite painful.  These veins can cause a bulge under the skin, can cause your legs to ache and sometimes even feel itchy.  If you spend a lot of time on your feet with varicose veins, you might feel a lot of pain in a short amount of time.   

If suffering from painful varicose veins, it is important to go to a doctor in order for them to fix the damage.   There are steps you can take at home such as having your legs elevated as much as possible, wearing compression stockings, losing weight, avoiding alcohol and do not cross your legs while sitting.  There are medical chat groups that can allow  you to talk to other people about similar situations.

There are also medical treatments that can be performed such as sclerotherapy which is injecting a chemical into the vein that would obliterate it. This treatment is typically used on the smaller spider veins.  Also, more than one treatment is most likely to occur.