How Your Weight Affects Spider Veins (and What You Can Do About It)?

Spider veins are small veins that are visible beneath your skin, often showing several thin purple, red, or blue lines along your legs. Although they don’t usually cause any health problems, they can be annoying in terms of how they look.

Naturally, one would think that losing weight would automatically remove spider veins — less weight means easier blood flow, right? Well, there’s some truth to that, but it’s also not that easy.

Weight Loss Reduce Spider Veins?

Although weight and spider veins are connected, there’s no clear evidence that losing weight can remove them.

Treatments for spider veins instead involve small procedures such as sclerotherapy, ohmic thermolysis or laser treatment. There isn’t any evidence supporting non-medical treatments (such as diets) as a way to remove spider veins.

However, that doesn’t mean spider veins and weight have nothing to do with each other. In fact, there has been some research on the impact of weight on varicose veins — a related condition that shares some similarities with spider veins.

How Being Overweight Affects Blood Circulation

Just being a bit overweight by itself probably won’t cause any vein problems in the short run. But it’s still important to keep an eye on your lifestyle to avoid spider veins down the road.

However, excess body weight can seriously impact your circulatory system. The main reason is it increases workload on your heart, that results in higher blood pressure. High blood pressure can damage blood vessels, reducing their elasticity and hindering efficient blood flow. On top of that, obesity is associated with conditions like high cholesterol and diabetes, which further hinders circulation.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Obesity: Having obesity can put you at risk for medical problems that slow down your blood flow, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.”

On the bright side, experts claim that it takes a considerable amount of excess weight to increase the risk of spider veins.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, maintaining a healthy weight can limit pressure on blood vessel walls, aiding in their normal function especially if you already have other risk factors. For example, a person of advanced age who’s overweight will be at a much greater risk of developing spider veins than one who isn’t.

Tips to Prevent Spider Veins

Yet it doesn’t all boil down to just having a healthy diet. You should also try to stay physically active by exercising a few times a week or, if you have some limitations, taking a walk every once in a while.

Similarly, avoid sitting or standing still for large periods of time. This will help you move blood through your legs and feet, improving your vein health and circulatory system. Don’t go overboard, though — strenuous exercise, especially if it involves heavy lifting, might make varicose veins worse, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

• Elevate Your Legs: When resting, raise your legs above heart level to help blood flow back toward your heart.

• Wear Compression Stockings: Especially if due to work you have to sit or stand for long periods, compression socks can improve blood outflow.

• Stay Hydrated: Proper hydration supports better blood flow and reduces the risk of blood pooling in the legs.

If you’re having doubts, make sure you check with a vein specialist! They’ll be able to help find the right lifestyle changes for you and your veins.

Taking Control of Your Spider Veins

If you’re tired of your spider veins or simply want to avoid them in the future, then nothing beats the opinion of a professional. And that’s exactly what we strive to achieve here at My Vein Treatment — to help you find the right choices.

Curious about your vein health? Our specialists can help you create a custom prevention plan today!