What are varicose veins and why do they form?

Varicose veins are veins that have been dilated, they are veins that have withstood a pressure greater than normal for a while and are progressively transformed: they increase in diameter, elongate and become tortuous. These changes cause the blood that travels through these veins to progressively slow down on its way to the heart, and in many cases, the direction of the heart is reversed. In the lower limbs, the standing position is where the veins bear the greatest pressure and, that is why, varicose veins are much more frequent in these areas than in the rest of the body.

There is also a genetic component, inherent in each patient, which determines the elasticity of the vein wall and which makes certain people more prone than others to present this problem.