Veins are blood vessels that return deoxygenated blood from the outer parts of the body all the way to the heart and lungs. When veins become abnormally thick, twisted and enlarged, they are called varicose veins. They are visible near the surface of the skin. In general, the legs and thighs have the highest tendency for the veins to become varicose. The varicose veins can form from anywhere in the body, it’s just that it is often located at the legs. What are varicose veins causes?
Varicose veins are caused by damaged valves and veins in your legs. The valves prevent backward flow of blood within the vein. It keeps blood in the vein moving towards the heart.
There are different views on why valves stop working, which is one of the varicose veins causes.
- Some experts believe that inherited problems cause people to have fewer valves or valves that simply do not function properly.
- Some people are born with abnormalities of the vein wall. This results into the valves to separate and become leaky.
Here are the common recognized varicose veins causes:
- Pregnancy – this is associated with an increase in blood volume. The added pressure on the veins, in the legs, due to the weight of the growing uterus, contributes to the development of varicose veins during pregnancy. The relaxation effects of estrogen and progesterone on the vein walls also contribute to this.
- Obesity – watching what you eat is really important not only against varicose veins, but for your overall health. Obesity is one of the varicose veins causes that can really be visible the larger you get. Obesity in itself is a disease, but it presents another negative effect which are varicose veins that may appear in any part of the body (mostly on the legs).
- Standing over a long period of time – people who have jobs that require standing for a long period of time (such as teachers) are vulnerable to having varicose veins.
- Prior surgery or trauma to the leg – the normal blood flow channels are interrupted because of the condition. Varicose veins may eventually show up in the part of the leg where you had surgery. It is best to be aware and take good care of the part of the leg in which you had surgery.
- Old age – Elderly individuals are also prone to developing varicose veins. This is one of the common varicose veins causes that are often inevitable when you reach an old age.
These are the common varicose veins causes. Some of them can be easily remedied because you can control it. Standing over a long period of time and obesity (being overweight) are something you can try to avoid in order to also avoid the burden of having these varicose veins. It’s all up to your commitment and dedication to getting rid off or avoiding these varicose veins that can lead to a “varicose veins-less” body.