Varicose veins are a condition with which almost everyone past their teenage years is familiar. Whether in the form of the tiny capillary spider veins or the large distended blue rivers running under the surface of the skin and down through the legs, they are considered to be unsightly. While they can appear anywhere on the body, most cases of varicose veins occur in the legs and are caused by a malfunction in the valves in the veins in the legs that normally keep the blood flowing back to the heart. When these valves malfunction, or leak, the veins in the legs begin holding more blood than usual and become distended. Even the small capillaries are affected creating spider veins.

Some varicose veins do not cause any problems, but others can cause the legs to ache especially when standing for long periods of time. Fortunately, there are many different treatments for varicose veins which range from therapeutic to cosmetic.