Varicose veins are very common, particularly among older people. However, there are steps you can take to prevent your varicose veins getting worse and address the ones you already have. Follow these tips to protect yourself from varicose veins.

1. Put Your Feet Up!

Varicose veins occur because blood pools in your legs, causing your veins to bulge out. Encourage blood to drain from your legs by putting your feet up, higher than your heart, as often as you can. One good way to do this is to lie on the sofa and rest your feet on its arm. You can also sleep with your feet propped up on a pillow.

2. Lose Weight

The more you weigh, the more stress you place on your leg muscles and veins every time you take a step. If you are overweight or obese, try to slim down through a healthy diet and gentle, regular exercise. Not only will maintaining a healthy weight reduce your risk of obesity-related illnesses, it could also help with your varicose veins.

3. Use Compression Stockings

Compression stockings apply gentle, consistent pressure to your calves to encourage blood to return to your heart instead of pooling in the veins below the knee. You can wear compression stockings every day as a non-invasive treatment for varicose veins.

4. No More Tight Jeans

You might think that tight clothing would have a similar effect to compression stockings. Unfortunately, pants that are tight around the thighs and waist can make varicose veins worse. If your skinny jeans strangle your thighs and dig into your waist and hips, they could be preventing your blood from circulating normally. Switch too-tight clothes for looser styles or switch to a larger size.

5. Practice Good Sitting Posture

Sitting in the same position for a long period of time isn't good for your circulation. Try to take breaks from sitting as often as you can. If you must sit at a desk for work, avoid crossing your legs. Instead, rest your feet on a foot stool to keep them slightly raised.

6. Get Medical Help

Although these tips can help to prevent varicose veins getting worse, it is often not possible to reverse them without medical help. To dramatically change the appearance of your varicose veins, you need to consult a vascular surgeon, who can remove the damaged sections of veins to cure this unsightly and uncomfortable health problem.