Welcome to Women's Health Interactive's Health News for Women . What You Need to Know About Varicose Veins Snow and sub-zero temperatures aren't the only things that make women rush to cover their legs. Varicose veins move many women to act just as quickly. The superficial veins in your lower legs are vulnerable to varicose veins.
Several factors can contribute, including low pressure in the veins and one-way valves.
Although there is great pressure pushing the blood through your arteries, by the time it passes through microscopic capillaries and into the venous side of the system, the pressure is reduced to nearly zero. This makes it a challenge for the body to push the blood through the veins from the feet back to the heart. To assist blood flow, one-way valves are in veins below the heart. These valves point toward the heart. Once the blood passes upward and through a valve, it cannot regress.