Are you likely to get spider veins?

Spider veins can appear almost overnight and without warning.  It’s something of a mystery why some women get spider veins and others escape with blemish free legs all their lives.

Whilst the exact causes of spider veins are difficult to pinpoint there are some common factors you ought to be aware of.

First off though – how do you tell if you’ve got spider veins? Look our for a network of thin blue or red veins just below the skin’s surface on your legs.

The pattern made by spider veins resembles the branches of a tree or the structure of a spider’s web – hence their common name.

The medical name for spider veins is ‘telangiectasias’ which is probably why most of us prefer to call them spider veins or thread veins.

Spider veins are extremely common among women – around 1 in 4 of us is affected at some stage in our lives.  Spider veins are more common after mid-life when the skin becomes thinner and loses some of its collagen allowing the spider veins to show through.

Spider veins result from weak vein valves which cause blood to leak back into the vein and collect there.  Venous insufficiency or venus reflux is the medical term. It is this leaked blood that becomes visible and unsightly to the naked eye.

We get spider veins on our legs because of gravity. Your legs bear your whole body weight and the hard task of carrying blood from the bottom of the body up to the heart make legs the main area of risk for spider veins.

Although the exact causes of spider veins aren’t clear – here’s the 8 factors that may make it more likely you will develop them at some stage in your life:

1. your age – they are more likely from mid-life onwards
2. your genes – having family members with spider veins is probably the single most important factor
3. hormonal changes – particularly during puberty, pregnancy and the meopause
4. taking birth control pills or other medication containing estrogen and progesterone
5. pregnancy – the hormonal changes and the huge increase in the amount of blood in your body during pregnancy can cause enlargement and pressure on veins
6. your weight – being overweight or obese puts pressure on veins and can weaken vein valves
7. standing or sitting in a job or damage to the veins caused by a leg injury
8. sun damage weakens the skin’s surface – if you have failed to protect your skin in the past from UV rays spider veins are more likely to occur.

Spider veins are often confused with varicose veins but they are different in several important ways.  Spider veins won’t turn into varicose veins as some people believe – the conditions are different.

Contrary to what you may have been told – spider veins are not dangerous and shouldn’t cause pain.  But they are unsightly – having spider veins can be a source of anxiety and may affect your quality of life and your self-confidence.

The good news is that spider veins can be treated – vein treatments have improved enormously in recent years and you should be able to get rid of your spider veins completely and get your unblemished legs back.

Related articles:

• Spider veins: 8 step action plan
• What’s the difference between spider veins and varicose veins?