Help for varicose veins

If you have a tendency to get varicose veins, they may worsen if you're overweight, on the Pill or pregnant. If you're overweight, the tissue around your veins may be less supportive, causing them to become more visible. During pregnancy there is an increase in hormone levels that relax the muscles and make veins larger.

Treatment
If your symptoms are mild, a few self-help remedies - such as wearing support stockings or elevating your feet several times during the day - may be all you need. However, varicose veins can get worse over time and if left untreated they can lead to eczema (patchy, dry skin) or phlebitis (an inflammation of the vein that makes it tender and painful). According to the British Vascular Foundation, surgery is rarely essential, and the decision about treatment depends on how much the veins bother you or whether you have any of the above complications.

Non-surgical options

• Wearing support stockings, although not the most attractive addition to your wardrobe, may help stop veins from swelling, particularly if you stand up a lot. Properly fitted medium-strength support stockings usually work best. 'Make sure they fit properly, otherwise, if they're too tight, they may restrict circulation,' says Chant. He advises people to go for a below-the-knee support stocking, which is easy to fit. 'If you've got a serious problem and need a stocking above the knee, it's best to go to a surgical appliance office. Look at www.yell.com under Surgical Instruments, and you'll find someone who can measure you properly,' he says.
• Also, make a conscious effort to elevate your legs from time to time during the day. Sitting on a sofa with your legs elevated higher than your head can ease aching, swollen legs by allowing blood to flow easily back to your heart.
• Muscles in the legs help pump blood back to the heart, so by exercising regularly, you'll help the blood flow more freely. Try to exercise two or three times a week or at least build more activity into your day.
• For obvious reasons, it's a good idea to avoid long periods of standing if you can.
• If you do have to stand for long periods, try 'rocking' movements, transferring weight forwards onto the balls of the feet and lifting the heels, and then rocking backwards to take the weight on your heels and lifting the front of your foot. These movements contract the calf muscles and pump blood back to the heart. The same sort of foot movement can be done if you have to sit for long periods of time. You can also do ankle rotations of the type recommended on aircraft to pump blood out of the legs and stop it pooling in the veins