Causes - Symptoms

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Causes of varicose veins can include:

Age. As you get older, your veins can lose elasticity causing them to stretch. The valves in your veins may become weak, allowing blood that should be moving toward your heart to flow backward. Blood pools in your veins, and your veins enlarge and become varicose. The veins appear blue because they contain deoxygenated blood, which is in the process of being recirculated through the lungs.

Pregnancy. Some pregnant women develop varicose veins. Pregnancy increases the volume of blood in your body, but decreases the flow of blood from your legs to your pelvis. This circulatory change is designed to support the growing fetus, but it can produce an unfortunate side effect — enlarged veins in your legs. Varicose veins may surface for the first time or may worsen during late pregnancy, when your uterus exerts greater pressure on the veins in your legs. Changes in your hormones during pregnancy also may play a role. Varicose veins that develop during pregnancy generally improve without medical treatment within three months after delivery


Symptoms
Varicose veins usually don't cause any pain. Signs you may have varicose veins include:

Veins that are dark purple or blue in color
Veins that appear twisted and bulging; often like cords on your legs
Varicose veins may also form in other places on your legs, from your groin to your ankle.

When painful signs and symptoms occur, they may include:

An achy or heavy feeling in your legs

Burning, throbbing, muscle cramping and swelling in your lower legs

Worsened pain after sitting or standing for a long time

Itching around one or more of your veins

Skin ulcers near your ankle, which can mean you have a severe form of vascular
disease that requires medical attention

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. They occur on the legs, but can also be found on the face. Spider veins vary in size and often look like a spider's web.

When to see a doctor
Self-care — such as exercise, elevating your legs or wearing compression stockings — can help you ease the pain of varicose veins and may prevent them from getting worse. But if you're concerned about how your veins look and feel and self-care measures haven't stopped your condition from getting worse, see your doctor.