Feeling a breeze on bare legs is one of the great joys of summer - but are your own pins fit to show off in swimming costumes and shorts? Having varicose veins can dent your confidence, but it doesn’t need to be a deal-breaker.
Here we bust a few myths surrounding the condition and come up with some great solutions…
THEY SAY: You don’t have to worry about varicose veins until at least middle age.
FALSE: Even young people can be affected by varicose veins, as I learnt when my own legs started discolouring in my teens.
I was particularly unlucky as both my parents suffered from varicose veins. So no, they are not a condition from which the young are excluded.
THEY SAY: Crossing your legs can encourage varicose veins or make them worse.
FALSE: Happily, there’s no truth in this rumour - although it is true that standing for long periods can aggravate those who are predisposed to veins or have already developed them.
If that’s the case, and you have to stand for your job, consider switching to a career that allows you to sit down more often.
MYTH: Exercise can help.
TRUE: At least that’s true in the sense that it will help you lose weight. Carrying extra pounds does put extra pressure on the veins and can make them look more unsightly.
THEY SAY: Support stockings are a must.
TRUE: Legs afflicted with varicose veins need all the help they can get, but today’s hosiery options offer a fashionable solution.
Tights with a high proportion of Lycra can be worn as an alternative to surgical compression stockings, and can be particularly useful on long-haul flights. Conversely, hold-ups that pinch below the knee are to be avoided - they can constrict blood supply.
THEY SAY: There’s no way to conceal varicose veins.
FALSE: There’s some extremely effective leg make-up on the market that can conceal blue lines and the mottling caused by blood gathering at the ankles, although bulging veins are more challenging to camouflage.
While Sally Hansen has made a name with its Airbrush products, Estée Lauder’s Double Wear range is more opaque. Be careful to colour-match the product to the skin on your legs before purchase for as seamless an effect as possible.
THEY SAY: There’s nothing you can do for varicose veins except to strip them out.
FALSE: Surgically stripping out veins is not the permanent solution it was once considered to be, and is no longer routinely practised. Endovenous Laser Ablation is a modern, non-surgical option, which works by heating up the veins so they die out.
It is considered more effective for treating larger varicosities than sclerotherapy, in which a chemical is injected into the veins to close them. Glue - yes, glue - is the latest word in minimally invasive therapy; it uses a catheter to fill the vein, which ultimately seals it off.
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