Spider veins is one of the many names for the small, superficial dilated veins that frequently occur on the legs. Telangiectasia is the medical term for these veins but they are also referred to as cosmetic veins, venous blemishes, venous blushes, vanity veins, venous sprays, sunbursts, or pregnancy veins. Spider veins frequently appear in women in their twenties, but can occur in later years as well, Treatment for spider veins is usually sought because they are cosmetically unacceptable not because they cause the individual discomfort or affect the body in any other way.

Some women are also predisposed to the dilation of larger, deeper veins, a condition commonly known as varicose veins. These can be distressing, particularly if they appear in large numbers. In addition, they frequently cause the legs to ache.

As with so many signs of aging, heredity is the major reason for problems with dilation of blood vessels in the legs, although they are aggravated by oral contraceptives, pregnancy, hormone therapies, trauma, high impact jogging and aerobics, and long periods of standing.

Will your legs always look smooth and shapely? Or will unsightly, knobbly veins mar their beauty while the rest of your body is still 'young and healthy-'looking? Most young people think of varicose veins as an affliction of the elderly, but they can occur in the late teens and twenties. Since prevention is better than cure, it is best to understand what varicose veins are, what cause them and how they can be treated.

Basically, 'varicose' means abnormally dilated or swollen. Varicose veins, there-fore, are so distended that they can be seen as knotty bulges just under the surface of the skin.

To understand how unsightly varicose veins occur, it helps to look closely at the venous, or vein system. This is a complex, but highly efficient network which regulates the flow of blood round the body. Veins have valves in them which allow the blood to pass only in one direction. Each valve consists of two pouches which lie flat against the internal wall of the vein when the blood is flowing in the right direction but which open out to meet and block the passage when the blood tries to flow backwards. The legs have the greatest number of valves, followed by the arms; the internal organs have only a few.

You can see where the valves are simply by rubbing your finger along a large vein in the arm or leg. in the opposite direction to the blood flow. Little swellings will appear above each valve. The veins have thinner walls than arteries', although their diameter is greater, to allow for the more leisurely flow of blood. The thinner walls, how-ever, enable them to contract much more easily if less blood comes their way to keep the blood flowing properly. There is an imperceptible and continuous squeezing of the veins by muscles all over the body which keeps the blood flowing from valve to valve.