Symptoms include heaviness of the legs, dull aching, tiredness in the legs and sometimes itching of the skin. In serious cases, swelling of the feet and legs become a problem and skin damage as well as ulcers may form. Deeper veins can be a special problem. Surgery may be necessary to correct the problem. Women are more likely to suffer than men, and overweight persons as well as the aged are particularly at risk.
Pregnancy also can cause varicose veins, as well as hemorrhoids.
Veins, especially in the legs, have no pump to move blood, unlike the arteries which are powered by the heart. Veins have a scheme in which muscles squeeze them, moving the blood which does not backflow because of one-way valves in the veins. When blood accumulates for long periods of time in the legs, pressure increases by up to 10 times normal and the veins lose tone. They stretch and when that happens the valves don't work. The problem is compounded.