Have you ever noticed spider veins on your legs or feet? Then you’re not alone. Spider veins are tiny veins that lie directly under the skin surface and appear either bluish or reddish in color. They usually develop on the legs and occur when the venous valves become leaky. This means the blood can’t flow back towards the heart as normal. Contrary to popular opinion, spider veins don’t just affect older people: they are widely distributed among all age groups, appearing more frequently in women than in men.
Chronic venous insufficiency is usually the underlying cause of varicose veins, reticular veins, and spider veins. In this case, the valves in the veins are damaged or weakened, which inhibits blood circulation back towards the heart and allows the blood to pool in the affected body part.
Spider veins are similar to varicose veins in that they are both connected to chronic venous insufficiency. As a result, a common cause of spider veins is when the valves in the veins are damaged or weakened, which inhibits blood circulation back towards the heart and allows the blood to pool in the legs. This increased pressure weakens the vein walls further and causes them to bulge, leading to spider veins in the feet, legs or elsewhere on the body. However, there are other potential risk factors besides venous insufficiency, such as hormonal changes.
Despite the similarities between the two venous conditions, spider veins have distinct symptoms from varicose veins:
First, the good news: spider veins are often just a cosmetic problem! They are very common and mostly harmless. Healthy living is an important factor in preventing more of the blueish-red veins from forming. It’s worth noting that there are genetic or hormonal factors that lead to the formation of spider veins, so a healthy lifestyle doesn’t necessarily guarantee a spider vein-free existence. Nonetheless, it is advisable to lose weight, to do more exercise, drink less and avoid nicotine in order to reduce your risk of venous insufficiency.
If you want to get rid of spider veins forever, there’s the option of having them lasered or ablated away. However, there is no guarantee that new spider veins won’t appear in a few years. Therefore, wearing specially designed compression stockings has proved highly valuable in relieving the venous system in a sustainable way. Our range of JOBST compression stockings are ideal for this purpose, encouraging healthy blood circulation throughout your limbs, resulting in lasting relief.
