VARICOSE VEINS CAUSES

Those bulging blue rivers and tiny red tributaries that course up and down your legs (and sometimes your arms) are blood vessels that have become swollen and twisted. (The word "varicose" is derived from the Greek for "grapelike.") Normally these veins, which are near the skin's surface, carry blood from your feet and hands back to your heart. Whenever you move your limbs, muscle contractions squeeze the veins and propel the blood upward toward your heart; one-way valves in the veins prevent it from flowing back down. But if you've inherited a tendency to develop varicose veins, your vein walls and valves may start to weaken as you age, a trend that allows blood to pool in the veins and causes them to balloon out against the skin. The problem is compounded if you sit or stand still for long periods, wear tight clothing, or carry a lot of excess weight, all of which can hamper circulation. In some people, these veins are merely unsightly. Others may suffer itching, cramping, or fatigue. Symptoms may worsen just before your period or while you're on birth-control pills or hormone-replacement therapy, since hormonal changes cause blood-vessel walls to relax.