Causes of Spider Veins - 3

Spider veins look like spider webs or starbursts that appear on your skin, in most cases they are blue or red color, sometimes purple; the causes of spider veins are not really known. Spider veins can be found any place on the thighs, legs, ankles and feet, they can be flat or raised, and they play no favorites, they are found on both men and women.

In most cases, spider veins are not as painful as enlarged varicose veins but they can still bleed and get worse without treatment. Spider veins are seen most often in the legs but can be seen in the face and elsewhere. These spider veins, medically referred to as Telangiectasisa, can get so bad that they can even turn into those large bulging varicose veins.

Spider veins and varicose veins are not the same, and just because you have one, doesn't necessarily mean that you will have the other. Varicose veins are large, swollen and appear by themselves on the legs, spider veins appear more faint and like to hang out in cliques. The causes however, are brought on by similar factors.

Exactly what happens in the body to generate spider veins isn't known for sure, though there are several thoughts behind the causes of spider veins. One reason for the development of these veins is that spider veins, which are found near the surface of the skin, feed off underlying varicose veins too small or embedded too deeply to reach the skin surface. These underlying veins interfere with circulation, causing spider veins to grow above them.

Another explanation is that spider veins are in fact small arteries that have attached themselves to the group of veins that emerge closest to your skin's surface.

Genetics and hormones along with estrogen also participate as advocates in the causes of spider veins. Often times, spider veins align themselves right along side of varicose veins. While many people seek treatment for cosmetic enhancement, others are looking for respite from pain associated with varicose veins.

Spider veins are produced by the dilation of the small veins under the surface of the skin, and are discovered mostly on the legs. They appear like red or purple sunbursts or web patterns. In most instances, spider veins have no health risk attached to them, but they can generate a dull aching or burning in the legs after prolonged standing.

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