What are varicose veins?
What causes varicose veins?
What are the symptoms of varicose veins?
Varicose veins show up as snakelike bulges just under your skin.
The veins may cause you:
You may be bothered by the way your varicose veins look.
If you have varicose veins, you may also have spider veins.
How can doctors tell if I have varicose veins?
How can doctors treat varicose veins?
Varicose veins can’t be cured, but treatment can lessen your symptoms. Treatments can include:
-
Wearing support stockings (special socks that go up to your knees and press on your legs to prevent veins from stretching and hurting)
-
Putting your feet up, such as by lying down or using a footstool
-
Injections into the veins (sclerotherapy)—doctors inject medicine into the varicose veins to seal them up
-
Laser therapy
-
Surgery (vein stripping)—the doctor may do surgery to remove the varicose veins if your symptoms and varicose veins are severe
Varicose veins that happen during pregnancy usually go away by themselves 2 to 3 weeks after the baby is born.
