What Causes Varicose Veins?
Many people suffer from varicose veins. What causes varicose veins? Before the cause of varicose veins are determined, you need to know what they are.
What are Varicose Veins?
Varicose veins are blue, green, or purple, and can be painful. These veins can be twisted, swollen, or enlarged. Individuals who suffer from a severe case of varicose veins may experience ulcers on the skin or ruptured veins. People who have healthy veins have values that open and close to allow the blood to flow in one direction. People who have weak or damaged valves will have issues with blood flow.
Weak or damaged valves can allow the blood to flow backwards and cause blood to collect within the vein.
What Causes Varicose Veins?
There are a few factors that cause or contribute to developing varicose veins. Age and pregnancy are two factors that can cause someone to experience varicose veins.
Age: As people age, veins within the body lose elasticity which allows them to stretch. When the valves in the veins become weak. Many problems can occur. The primary problem with weakened veins is the way they allow blood to flow. Proper working veins have valves that allow blood that should flow freely to the heart to flow backwards.
Because of this, blood accumulates within the veins, causes the veins to become painful, swollen or rupture. The reason varicose veins appear blue, green, or dark purple in color is due to deoxygenated blood.
Pregnancy: Pregnancy takes a toll on the human body and changes many things. Not all women develop varicose veins, but there are some who do. The primary reason pregnant women develop varicose veins is because of pregnancy hormones.
During pregnancy, the volume of blood within a woman’s body increases. Although the flow of blood is increased within the body, the flow of blood to the pelvis and legs is decreased. This is a circulatory alteration that occurs during pregnancy to support the growing baby.
With this circulatory change, one common side effect is enlarges veins within the legs.
Occupation: Many people are surprised to learn their job could cause varicose veins to develop. People who have jobs that require them to sit or stand for long periods of time can develop varicose veins because blood is not able to flow as it should if the body remains in the same position for long periods of time.
Obesity: Obesity is a condition many people in America suffer from. Consuming large amounts of fatty foods on a regular basis without proper exercise can cause obesity along with other issues. Obesity can cause varicose veins due to the added pressure excessive weight puts on the veins.
Family History: Family history plays a major role in developing varicose veins. There is an increased chance of an individual developing varicose veins if other family members have developed them.
Here are a few causes and factors of the causes of varicose veins. There are natural and medicinal ways varicose veins can be treated. If you have varicose veins, there are many things you can do to get rid of them.
