Spider Veins Arcing on Abdomen

Do you have spider veins arcing on your abdomen? Not sure, well let's talk about veins and what spider veins and varicose veins are. So let's start with your arteries, they carry blood from your heart to the rest of your tissues. Your veins return blood from the rest of your body to your heart, circulating the blood.

In order for blood to make its way back to your heart, the veins in your legs must work against gravity. Muscle contractions in your lower legs pump blood and the elastic vein walls help the blood to make its way back to your heart. Tiny one-way valves in your veins open as blood flows toward your heart then close to stop blood from flowing backward.

As you age your veins lose elasticity, causing them to stretch. The valves in your veins may also weaken, if they do, then the blood that should be moving toward your heart will flow backwards. Then, blood can pool in your veins, and your veins can get bigger and bigger and become varicose. In most instances, the veins appear blue because they contain deoxygenated blood, which is in the process of recirculating.

Spider veins are similar to varicose veins, but they're smaller. Spider veins are found closer to the skin's surface and are often red or blue. They occur on the legs, but can also be found on the face. Spider veins vary in size and often look like a spider's web or a tree branch.

Some pregnant women develop spider veins and varicose veins. Pregnancy increases the volume of blood in your body, but decreases the flow of blood from your legs to your pelvis. This circulatory change is designed to support the growing fetus, but it can produce an unfortunate side effect - enlarged veins in your legs. Varicose veins can surface for the first time or may worsen towards the end of your pregnancy, when additional pressure is placed on your uterus it also places increased pressure on the veins in your legs. Hemorrhoids are varicose veins located in and around the anus. Spider veins can also be confused with stretch marks on your abdomen.

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