Varicose veins are one of those anomalies that can be indicative of both. While men can get varicose veins also, it is something that is most often attributed to women. Actually, women can get varicose veins as the affect of pregnancy. Why? Because of the hormonal changes, as well as the significant weight gain and the pressure that puts on the veins.

Varicose veins do not just appear one day. Rather, the woman will be given indication as to whether or not she is in danger of getting one because of excessive leg cramps. These kinds of veins appear when blood, meant to continue on its path of circulation to the heart, starts instead to pool in the distorted veins.

Now, veins are quite flexible usually, but when too much blood accumulates, the veins stretch beyond their capacity to try to accommodate all of this blood. The result is large, puffy veins that protrude from the sides of the legs and on the calves.

Obviously, these puffy veins are cause for concern, but what really gets people upset is the overall appearance of these veins. Some of them are a dark blue, while others are purple or even green. Needless to say, many women become ashamed of showing their legs, and it is for vanity, not medical reasons that women usually seek help.

Sometimes primary care physicians can treat these veins, but more often than not they will refer the woman to a dermatologist. So, how can it be determined that these veins are dangerous? If the woman experiences significant pains and stiffness in the legs, as well as a rash that, if not treated, could lead to a significant infection.

In one of the worst case scenarios, the veins could be indicative of a clot. In this case, the primary care physician will have to step back into the picture and prescribe a blood thinner. This should, within a few months, significantly lower the chances that the clot could lead to a stroke.

This does not solve the problem of the overall appearance of the veins, however. Thus, the dermatologist will need to start a procedure to lessen and eventually erase the appearance of these veins. Usually, the first procedure that is done is sclerotherapy. In this procedure, the problematic veins are injected with medicine over a period of time. The goal of the medicine is to improve circulation, and thus collapse the veins.

If this procedure does not work within a few months, then the next form of treatment comes in the form of laser therapy, which is also done over the course of a few months. In this situation, the intensely hot light of the lasers is meant to not only restore circulation in the veins, but also to stimulate the growth of skin tissue. So, whatever the status of your veins, know that they can be helped thanks to various medical procedures.