What cuases visible veins?

The cause is not known. In many cases they seem to run in families. Veins appear more frequently in women, but can appear in men also. Oestrogen may play a role in their development because puberty and pregnancy often seem to bring on veins. It is possible that during pregnancy the enlarged uterus may also restrict blood flow contributing to their development.

Spider veins may also occur after trauma to a certain area of the body or as a result of wearing tight restrictive clothing. They also appear to be associated with obesity and occupations involving prolonged standing. When they occur on the face, spider veins may be related to chronic sun exposure, alcohol or exposure to extremes of temperature.

If you have the "varicose" potential, it may display as small veins or larger varicose veins, dependant on the lifestyle of the person.

It is important to appreciate that varicose vein disease is a chronic condition that requires on-going maintenance and surveillance after the initial course of treatment gains control. Treatment at the earliest stage will help avoid the possible expensive and debilitating complications including leg ulcers, stasis dermatitis and thrombophlebitis.

50% of people over 50 years have some degree of varicose veins.

Can we stop veins appearing?

Wearing specially medicated gradual support stockings compress and support the veins, and avoiding standing for long periods can help delay the progression of vein problems. This doesn't get rid of veins, however, and long term improvement will require some form of direct treatment to the veins.