Where Do Varicose Veins Come From?
What goes down must come up, in our circulatory systems anyway. Varicose veins can occur anywhere in the body, but they’re most common in the legs. Normally, blood that has traveled all the way down to the feet returns toward the heart, in defiance of gravity, with the aid of a system of valves in the veins. But if a valve is defective or a portion of the vein wall is weak, de-oxygenated blood accumulates in that area, creating the familiar blue bulge. “Most people don’t realize that varicose veins are formed because of a defect in the way the vein is made initially, during our development, so that it is too stretchable,” explains Dr. Robert Weiss, Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Once it stretches beyond where the valves can meet, the blood is free to flow backwards in the wrong direction.” But you don’t have to see the tell-tale bulge to suspect you have a varicose vein. Symptoms sometimes include minor swelling, a feeling of heavine
