How Weight Loss Can Really Help You With Your Varicose Veins

Posted on December 3, 2021 by Texas Vein & Wellness Institute

Being overweight may make you feel self-conscious about your appearance, but it can also have adverse effects on your heart, lungs, bones, and muscles. If these reasons alone aren’t incentive enough to shed some pounds, then varicose veins may be. So, what’s the connection between obesity and varicose veins? Let’s take a closer look and see.

Varicose Veins and Obesity: What’s the Connection?

Venous disease is caused by a variety of things including genetics, hormones, medication, pregnancy, age, and certain occupations, but one of the leading culprits is obesity. Why? Extra weight puts pressure on all parts of your body including your veins which makes it easier for blood to pool in your legs. When extra weight and pressure are placed on your veins, it prevents the blood from flowing back to your heart which causes it to pool in your legs.

Can Weight Loss Help Treat Varicose Veins?

Unfortunately, once you have varicose veins, losing weight can’t reverse them but it can help to reduce their appearance. In fact, a lot of patients notice that their veins become visibly less noticeable after they lose more weight. Even though we offer a variety of different varicose vein treatments at Texas Vein & Wellness Institute we encourage all of our overweight patients to lose some weight as part of their treatment plan.