Spider Veins: Do Not Get Caught in Their Web

Summer time is here! It's time to bring out those cool cotton mini-dresses, shorts and swim wear. You are raring' to hit the pool or better yet the beach when you suddenly see yourself in the mirror and lo, you've got some weird tree branch looking, short jagged lines in your legs. And the worst part is you have no idea how to hide and get rid of it. This problem which befalls many of the population is called spider veins.

Unfortunately, almost half of the women and close to half of men in America suffer from either spider vein or a more serious varicose vein problems. Spider veins are smaller than varicose veins and are usually blue or red in color. They are called spider veins simply because they look like spider webs with short uneven lines. They can appear on a small spot of the legs and even the face, but the worst kind is those that affect a very large area of the skin. If you have spider veins running across your legs, you'll know that short skirts, dresses and pants are not a good idea. Good news is by knowing how and why these nuisances appear, you can do something to lessen or prevent their appearance.

There are a lot of factors that cause men and women to develop spider veins, but the primary causes are gravity and blood circulation. When the heart pumps blood to the whole body, it includes oxygen and nutrients, as well. The veins on the other hand carry blood that lack oxygen back to the heart. The veins in the legs have the hardest task of carrying the blood back to the heart. However, when the veins are weak, blood cannot go up, instead settles in the vein and causes the veins to enlarge. Gravity, body weight and the movement of blood from your toes up to your heart makes the legs the primary spot where spider veins settle in. Weight issues, including obesity and pregnancy increases the chances of developing spider veins. Hormonal changes, genetics, and exposure to the sun can also cause spider veins.

While spider veins do not pose serious health problems, people would want to get rid of it because it simply looks nasty. While prevention is always better than cure, when you see spider veins creeping in, at the very early stage you can trace your steps and go back to the root cause, which is gravity.

Helping your veins bring the blood up your system can help you prevent or minimize spider veins. This is very much needed, especially when you stand up a lot during the day. If you do need to stand, shift your weight from one leg to another every now and then. When you can, try to sit down and elevate your legs when resting. You can even take short walks every half an hour to promote blood circulation.

You can also control your weight so as to put less pressure on your legs. Exercise, especially those that concentrate on improving the strength of your legs can also do wonders for circulation and vein strength.

Alternatively, there are some products in the market that were developed to reduce the appearance of spider veins. Vitamin K creams are applied to the legs to heal and make stronger capillaries and vein walls which in turn can improve blood circulation. Panty hose or support stockings, even the new spray-on versions are fast gaining popularity especially among women.