Question: What are Varicose Veins?
Varicose veins are broken veins. Veins are designed to flow toward the heart through a series of one way valves. Due to influences that cause veins to dilate, valves begin to fail and backwards flow occurs within the vein. This allows blood to leak back with gravity and pool in the vein. This causes the veins to bulge and stretch and result in many unpleasant side effects such as aching and throbbing pain, heavy and tired legs and poor circulation.
Varicose veins may show up as spider veins (telangiectasias) or large bulbous veins (truncal varices).
Each is caused by the same process of vein dilation affecting different sizes of veins in a given limb.
