If you have unsightly varicose veins in your legs, you might be wondering why you have them, but friends and family members don't. Experts aren't completely sure why the walls of some people's veins stretch, or why the valves in particular veins become faulty, causing blood to pool and veins to visibly bulge through your skin.

Varicose veins sometimes occur for no apparent reason; however, there are certain risk factors that provide clues as to why some people get varicose veins and others don't.

Here are some risk factors that could be causing your varicose veins:

Being female
Taking birth control pills
Undergoing hormone replacement therapy
Being genetically predisposed to varicose veins
Being overweight or obese
Being over 50 years old
Going through menopause
Standing for long periods of time
Pregnancy

As you can see, several of these risk factors are unique to women, which is perhaps why more women get varicose veins than men.

Why anyone gets varicose veins

When you stand on your feet for long periods of time, your blood doesn't flow as well as it does when you're moving around, and gravity works against you. Varicose veins often form in your legs because those veins are the farthest from your heart. The veins in your legs work against gravity to return the blood back to your heart so it can continue to be recirculated.

Healthy vein walls are flexible, but they can stretch out as you get older or if you're in a high-risk category. Tiny valves in your veins can become weak or damaged from the pressure of being overweight, pregnant, or standing many hours a day at your job.

When vein valves are weak or damaged, blood can flow backward and pool in the vein. This puts more pressure on vein walls and can cause them to stretch or twist, which is often how they look when you see varicose veins bulging through your skin.

So, while there is not a definitive answer as to why some people get varicose veins and others don't, there are certain elements that can stack against you especially if varicose veins run in your family.

Varicose vein solutions

Existing varicose veins won't disappear overnight, but there are some lifestyle changes you can make to help prevent new varicose veins from forming.

Lifestyle changes

If you are pregnant, elevate your feet when you sit down, whenever possible. If you are overweight, lose those extra pounds by walking more or participating in a low-impact activity that helps improve your circulation, such as yoga, swimming, or aerobics.

Eat healthier, high-fiber foods, avoid salt and change your position from standing to sitting regularly. Compression stockings also squeeze your lower legs to encourage blood flow to your heart more easily. Compression stockings can help relieve the discomfort and swelling that often comes with varicose veins.

Minimally invasive treatments

In addition to lifestyle changes, you have several options for treating existing varicose veins. Dr. Serrano routinely performs the following in-office, minimally invasive vein treatments for men and women who want to make varicose veins disappear for health and cosmetic reasons:

Chemical ablation
Radiofrequency ablation
Sclerotherapy
Phlebectomy

Each of these techniques is easily tolerated, with little to no pain, and requires just a short downtime, though you'll most likely need to wear compression stockings after your vein therapy.