If you take a look at your legs and you find out many enlarge visible veins there, that’s what medical called varicose veins. Indeed, the veins may look knobby and thick and sometimes, it’s very visible with a dark blue or black stand out color. Although no serious effects occurred from varicose veins, it still can ache, heavy or itchy when it becomes large.

What causes varicose veins?

As we all know, blood is flowing through our body through veins and vessels. In varicose vein case, somehow the wall of the vein becomes weak in some sections. These weaken section then spread, widen and become more and more prominent. Now, if that occurs near the valve where the blood flows, the valve might be damaged and leaky. As a result, the blood flow might flow backward or reverse. Once this happens to one valve, there will be extra pressure on the vein for more valves will also leaky. Then, blood pools in the enlarged vein and makes the vein stand out from outside. Although it sounds scary, it doesn’t have any serious effects only make your legs appearance looks ugly, discomfort and somehow a little itchy.

Is there any way to avoid varicose veins?

Research reported that about 3 in 100 adults develop varicose veins at some time in their lives. Although it’s rare, it can happen to anyone, especially to women. Varicose veins develop more in women is because of these reasons:

Pregnancy

Having a baby causing extra pressure on the veins and partly because of hormones during pregnancy tend to relax the vein walls. To put it simply, the more babies you have, the more the risk of permanent varicose veins developing in your legs. This condition will improve after childbirth when the pressure on the veins eases.

Old age

As people grow old, the will have many varicose veins. It’s common to happen like that.

Overweight

Overweight can also cause varicose veins although it mostly happens to overweight women not men. (Not fair, right?)

Standing a lot

Standing a lot itself may not be the problem but if you stand for a long time by using high heels, then, you may develop varicose veins if you don’t stop.

Those are the natural causes but varicose veins can also be caused by some underlying disease such as:

• A previous blood clot or injury in a deep leg vein
• A swelling or tumor in the pelvis area which blocks the blood flows in the veins at the top of the leg. This might cause varicose veins although it’s rare to happen.
• Due to abnormal blood vessels in which some of the veins or arteries have not formed in normal ways. This happens very rarely so you don’t have to worry.

For women, there aren’t ways to avoid varicose veins for women can easily get varicose veins just by doing their daily life such as attending work or party using high heels, laboring, and most of all old age. Every human being in this world will age one day and therefore, raise the chance to get varicose veins.

Helps for stopping the bleeding of varicose veins

External bleeding from a ruptured varicose vein can be frightening but it’s actually not unusual and not that serious. There three ways to stop the bleeding. Those three ways are as follows:

Self-help method

You can stop the bleeding by yourself which is not that difficult to do. It’s worth to try before going to see a doctor or going to the hospital which will cost you a lot. If you decided to do it yourself at home, you can follow these steps written below to help stop the bleeding:

• Immediately apply constant pressure to the bleeding veins, with any soft item you can find such as towel or tissue or gauze. This is the first step and most important step.
• Elevate your leg (that has the bleeding veins) above the level of your heart. If that happens in the bathroom after having a shower, you can just lie on your bathroom floor and put your leg on the toilet seat to accomplish this step. Once you’ve done that, just relax. After 20 minutes past, you can look at the bleeding vein to make sure that it’s not bleeding anymore but don’t get up before the bleeding stop completely. Once the bleeding has stopped, keep compression on the veins.
• Keep the scab on vein undisturbed by covering it with a band-aid and avoid any rubbing over that are. You don’t want to make that bleeding again, don’t you?
• Go see your doctor or to the hospital to ask medical advice or treatment that can prevent the bleeding from happening again.

Medical surgery

Different techniques can be used to remove the veins, depending on their site and severity. It isn’t a complicated procedure because many people can be treated as day cases but the healing is the long one. About one to three weeks rest may be needed afterward.

Sclerotherapy

Just like sclerose means to be sealed, the vein is injected with a chemical that can close and seal it. This method has side effects and responsible for causing the skin staining and ulcers. Post-surgery, the vein needs to be compressed means; you have to wear bandaging or compression stockings for a few days or weeks. (Not recommended this method)