{"id":696,"date":"2020-04-05T13:52:06","date_gmt":"2020-04-05T13:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/atlantabody.wpengine.com\/?p=696"},"modified":"2020-04-07T16:38:28","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T16:38:28","slug":"are-varicose-veins-a-health-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atlantabodyinstitute.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/05\/are-varicose-veins-a-health-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Varicose Veins a Health Risk?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Are Varicose Veins a Health Risk?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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If you\u2019ve ever looked down at your legs and wondered if you needed to have them checked out because your varicose veins just don\u2019t look good, you aren\u2019t alone. According to the American College of Phlebology, up to\u00a0<\/span>50<\/a>% of women in America have varicose veins or a related disorder of the veins. Varicose veins also affect roughly half of the population over age 50.<\/span><\/p>

What you really want to know is if your varicose veins are a health risk. Will they cause any problems other than cosmetic ones? The simple answer is, it depends.<\/span><\/p>

What are varicose veins?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>

Varicose veins<\/a>\u00a0are bulging, gnarled veins. Any superficial vein can have this condition, although it\u2019s most common in your legs and feet because there\u2019s greater pressure placed on your lower extremities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Arteries take blood from your heart to the rest of your body, and veins return the blood to the heart, so it can continue circulating through your body. The veins in your legs are working against gravity to get the blood all the way up to the heart, so they need pumps (muscle contractions in your legs) and tiny valves that keep the blood from flowing backward.<\/span><\/p>

Varicose veins occur when these valves become weak or get damaged. If the valves no longer work correctly, the blood can pool in your veins, causing them to become enlarged and twisted.<\/span><\/p>

What health risks can varicose veins cause?<\/span><\/h2>

Varicose veins can lead to other health problems as well:<\/span><\/p>