Leg veins are designed to return blood to the heart. They can do this even while standing, because the small one-way valves inside the veins keep the blood moving in the right direction. When these valves fail, that blood flows towards the feet and pressure in the surface veins starts to build up. This pressure causes stretching and dilatation and, as a result, the veins start to bulge out. Leg veins that bulge and are bigger than usual are called varicose veins. Your surgeon will recommend the best course of treatment if you have varicose veins. Who gets them? It is common for varicose veins to run in families but this is not always the case. Other risk factors are: pregnancy, obesity, having a standing job and trauma.

Spider veins are tiny blood vessels that appear as thin lines, clusters or webs on the surface of the skin, especially on the face and legs. They are often red, blue or purple and are usually not painful or harmful but can be unsightly. Sometimes spider veins are an indication of varicose veins. Talk to Simply Veins' specialist nurse if you have spider veins.

Read about our treatments, sclerotherapy and Venaseal®, here

Compression stockings are worn after the procedure to help ensure the best outcome from your varicose veins treatment. Read more here