Spider Veins & Varicose Veins: Webs, Branches, and Rope

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Spider Veins & Varicose Veins: Webs, Branches, and Rope

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Send us Fan MailHi. Welcome back to the Aging Mask Podcast. A Lifestyle Medicine Podcast that explores Lifestyle, Wellness, and our Everyday Choices that shape the way we Age.I am Joanne Demers. Your weekly wellness companion. Thank you for listening.Today, we are talking about veins, not just veins, but spider veins and varicose veins.Those not always tiny, red, blue purple or bulging veins that seem to just pop up out of nowhere. If you have ever looked at your legs and wondered why you have these veins, you are not alone. You are definitely not alone. Spider Veins and Varicose veins are just another itemon the long list of things we compare about ourselves. And since they have made the list of comparables, I thought it would be fun to explain them.Admittingly, there is one thing that I do appreciate about spider and varicose veins…the good news.. they are equal opportunity employers… they affect Men and Women. BUT, there is bad news; They are more common in women.Veins are blood vessels whose sole responsibility is to carry blood back to your heart.All veins carry blood back to your heart, but the veins in our legs have one of the hardest jobs in your body as they must constantly work against gravity to move blood upward, which is one reason spider and varicose veins are more common on your legs.In order to do this, veins contain tiny one- way valves; think of them as little doors- they open to allow blood upward and close to prevent your blood from falling backward, pretty cool, huh?When these valves work properly, your blood flows efficiently- but when they weaken, blood begins to pool, and that is where the problem starts.Overtime, that increased pressure can stretch your vein walls and contribute to the development of spider and varicose veins.Now, these are more terms that we use interchangeably, but Spider Veins and Varicose Veins are not the same. Both of them are linked to increased pressure inside the veins, but the difference is where that pressure occurs, and how severe it becomes.Spider veins are the tiny veins you see. They sit close to the surface of your skin, and they look like:Spider websTree branchesOr some can look like cracks under your skin.Spider veins they are usually- red, purple or blue.They are typically flat, and for the most part they do not ,and will not ,cause you any physical discomfort.Varicose Veins… are bigger veins that have become stretched out overtime. When the little valves inside stop working as well as they should, blood pools in the vein, causing it to get bigger, twist, and sometimes bulge out beneath your skin looking like rope. Unlike spider veins, which are mostly just a cosmetic concern, varicose veins can sometimes cause symptoms like:Aching, throbbing, swelling, leg fatigue or discomfort which tends to worsen after long periods of sitting or standing.That said, not all people with varicose veins experience symptoms. Some people have very visible veins with no discomfort at all.PS) you might find relief in this: Spider Veins don’t typically morph into varicose veins. Spider Veins are not baby Varicose Veins.There isn’t just one cause.Most of the time, spider veins and varicose veins develop from a combination of pressure, time and biology.The most common causes of increased pressure in your veins is :*If you stand to long- anyone who spends hours upright without a lot of movement – this places strain on your veins. *If you sit to long- today we do a lot of sitting- hours and hours sitting at a desk, in cars, and airplanes- these all reduce healthy circulation.*if you have excess body weight- more weight means more pressure on the veins in your lower legs- this meansYour veins have to work harder to push the blood back up to the heart, and that constant strain can contribute to the weakening of those tiny one way valves inside the veins)the doors)- and when those valves no longer close properly, blood starts to pool, increasing the pressure- and leading to varicose veins.*Hormonal changes- can affect the elasticity of the veins.Hormonal changes make the vein walls more relaxed and prone to stretching, and these changes make it harder for the veins and their tiny valves to function as efficiently as before.We want our veins to be flexible, but not overly stretched. Think of a rubber band- a new- healthy rubberband stretches then returns to its original shape. An old or overused rubberband stretches- but it doesn’t bounce back the same- this is the same thing that happens to our veins.AgingAs we age.· Our vein walls become less elastic· Our valves weaken· And years of gravity and pressure accumulate- so spider and varicose veins become more common with age.When it comes to the cause of Spider and varicose veins.. The biggest factor of all.. is genetics.Most of the time veins arrive because of genetics.Some people inherit stronger vein walls and more efficient valves.And other people inherit veins ...

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