If you’re a female with a parent or grandparent with varicose veins, YOU are at risk of developing the enlarged veiny eyesores yourself. In addition to hereditary varicose veins, you can also be at risk if you are pregnant, overweight, injured, or have limited movement.
Varicose veins are swollen and twisted veins that you can see just under the surface of the skin. They most often occur in the legs and can cause pain, blood clots, skin ulcers and various other problems depending on the extent of the damage. Mostly, they are just unsightly, but never the less you’ll want to prevent them if you can.
Here are 10 tips you can utilise to help prevent those nasty veins from popping up.
1. Excersise reguarly
Muscle tone in the legs is essential in creating good circulation as they aid they veins in pumping deoxygenated blood back to the heart. Excercising reguarly, especially walking or running, improves circulation and helps to prevent the development or worsening of varicose veins.
2. Maintain a healthy weight
An overweight person is more likely to develop varicose veins as there is far more pressure exerted on the veins. By maintaining a healthy weight you can relieve that pressure and reduce your risk.
3. Avoid wearing heels for long periods of time
Through wearing lower heeled shoes you can develop increased muscle tone in your calves (one of the most commonly affected areas). Toned calves can help the blood move through the veins and prevent the pooling that causes varicose veins.
4. Eat a low-salt diet that is rich in high-fiber foods
Studies have linked poor diet to the development of varicose veins and in particular diets that cause constipation. High-fibre foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables will keep you regular, improve your general health and prevent those nasty swollen veins from coming through to the surface.
5. Elevate your legs when possible
In raising your legs above your heart you can aid your body in pumping the blood back from your extremities to your heart. In doing this, especially at the end of the day you can drain any blood that has pooled in your lower legs and prevent the damage to your veins caused by it.
6. Do Not Smoke
High blood-pressure, a condition known to be influenced by smoking, aids in creating varicose veins. It is also a habit that causes ‘lower limb venous insufficiency’ that results in increased pooling of blood in the legs.
7. Avoid taking highly hormonal contraceptive pills
The prolonged use of estrogen or progesterone (female associated hormones that aid in birth control) can weaken the valves that exist within the veins to pump the blood from the legs back to the heart for reoxygenation. This results in a weaker circulatory system that leads to varicose veins. Lower doses of these hormones are a much better option if you are concerned with the risk of developing varicose veins.
8. Wear compresion socks
Compression socks are key in preventing the worsening of varicose veins but are less important in prevention. They provide a gentle continuous pressure up the leg that aids the circulation of blood and prevents swelling of the leg and pooling of blood within them.
9. Wear sunscreen
Increased exposure to the sun can not only lead to cancers of the skin but also worsening of spider veins (precursers to varicose veins). Through wearing sunblock to protect your skin from the sun you can also reduce your risk of developing varicose veins.
10. Avoid sitting and standing for long periods of time
Sitting for long periods of time, especially with legs crossed over one another, can restrict the blood flow throughout. Standing on the other hand puts a lot of pressure on the valves in your veins that act to pump blood back to the heart. In making sure your vary your position throughout the day you can reduce the risk of varicose veins.
Use these tips to prevent those spider veins from becoming anything more, as varicose veins can affect your confidence and comfort in the future.
It is in your best interest to do everything in your power to prevent unsightly varicose veins before they invade your legs, however, in some cases they are not preventable. In this situation there are treatments that can help to reduce the effect of varicose veins. If you’re interested in treatment for varicose veins check out those offered at Transform: Appearance Medicine and Laser Clinic.