Varicose Veins Support Group

Other symptoms of varicose veins include: aching, heavy legs (often worse at night), ankle swelling, a brownish-blue shiny skin discoloration around the veins, skin over the vein may become dry, itchy and thin, leading to eczema (venous eczema), the skin may darken (stasis dermatitis) because of the waste products building up in the legs.

Minor injuries to the area may bleed more than normal and/or take a long time to heal. Rarely, there is a large amount of bleeding from a ruptured vein. In some people the skin above the ankle may shrink (lipodermatosclerosis) because the fat underneath the skin becomes hard.

Varicose veins are more common in women than in men, and are linked with heredity. Other related factors are pregnancy, obesity, menopause, aging, prolonged standing, leg injury and abdominal straining. Varicose veins are bulging veins that are larger than spider veins, typically 3 mm or more in diameter.

The irritation -- especially the itching -- of varicose veins can be controlled to an extent with either anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen or aspirin -- but there is a risk of intestinal bleeding, or regular exercise, including vein gymnastics, wading through water and going barefoot.