Body Image and Issues after Weight Loss - Varicose veins?

I hope I've placed this in the right spot.

I am young (19), but I have a lot of problems with leg circulation due to my weight. I have some really bad varicose veins on my right leg, and some discoloration and busted blood vessels throughout both of my legs. They are pretty unsightly - I definitely don't wear shorts, even around the house in front of my family. I was just wondering if, by losing the weight, will they fade at all?

They are not hereditary - in fact, neither my mom nor my grandma have a single broken vein. (They are normal weight, btw) It's just my weight and poor leg circulation that have caused it..

This is more of a "what if.." so I'll move the thread if necessary!
Thanks. :)

I feel your pain hun! I've had spider veins since I was about your age. I, too, avoid wearing shorts. ( Thank goodness for capris! )

I've discussed this with my doctor on a number of occasions. Heredity and weight do have a LOT to do with it. Taking very hot baths ... standing on your feet for long periods of time, also contribute to the problem.

The veins wont necessarily fade when you lose weight ... but you can do some things to lessen the appearance. Tanning or using a tanning lotion helps ... there are also cosmetic type lotions out there like make up ... to help cover them up when you want to wear a skirt or shorts. Also, there is a procedure you can have done where they inject the vein with a solution that clears them up. There are several down sides to the procedure; mainly its not cheap. Secondly, they usually come back so you have to get it done more than once. I have had this done before ... and I was happy with the results but 6 months later they came back. I've chosen to do it again once I reach my goal weight. The dr that did it said that still carrying that weight on my legs is not helping them stay " away " with the procedure he does.

Hopefully others have more suggestions but hope what I've contributed helps a little. :)

Thanks for responding .. I was so hoping they'd fade once I lost weight. :( They are truly bad for my self-confidence!!

I stand up at work all day, so that's really hard on me. And I've always been fat so that's even worse .. I am glad they aren't inherited, though. Does that mean I may have a better chance of losing them? :^:

Unfortunately you won't " lose " them. Once you get them, they are here to stay unless you elect to have the sugery, laser removal, injections or any of the other options they have out there now. Like I said though, there are MANY ways to lessen the appearance if you choose not to go the other route.

Your best bet would be to ask your doctor at your next visit. Have him/her examine them and tell you the best route for you. You are still very young so there are MANY ways to prevent NON-heredity veins. Your doctor would know the best course of action for you.

Thank you for your help.

Maybe one day I'll wear something besides long pants. :)

Thank you for your help.

Maybe one day I'll wear something besides long pants. :)


That day could be sooner than you think! :) If you dont mind spending a lil bit of money, you can always try what I use. I use dermablend. Its a body make up ... especially for legs too. Its great for covering spider veins. I get mine at Macys but I think JcPenny sells it too. I'd look up their website and do a store locater ... or order it online. Its not REAL expensive but its not cheap either. But a lil bit goes a long way so usually a bottle lasts me all summer long. There are several other make ups too .. I think cover fx is another one but I havent personally used it. But try those temporary things ... and maybe one day you might decide to have the injections or something more permanent. Best of luck to you! I hope you find something that works for you so you can enjoy those shorts! :)

This is just my opinion and you guys might laugh but I do have very bad vericose veins on my right front shin-- they are really bad and they popped out in my first trimester with my first son when I was 20 and not fat at all. Just overnight wham a big disaster on the front of my leg and mine are hereditary my dad and his mother had them bad-- but my doctor said it was most likely the way the baby was laying and cut off circulation to that artery.. Well my baby is 18 and I sure enough do wear shorts year in and year out.. I use tanning lotion and I did buy this vein lotion at SWalgreens which did make a tiny bit of difference, and I have used dermablend before but it is hard to match your skin tone so it looked like I had cakey foundation on my leg which was hard then to get off in the shower.. so I just said the **** with it.. Its my mark that ties me to my son and how can that be more bothersome than an ugly tatoo or something. Its just a part of me and if someone asks me I will tell them how I got it but im not going to be uncomfortable and self conscious about that for my life.. If my weird veins on my leg bugs you then look the other way.. Its not like im a cyclops with 3 eyes or the alien from signs.. whatever, im wearing shorts and thats that!

Amen!

Varicose veins run in my family, same as excruciating muscle cramps. I started getting varicose veins at 17 when I wasn't even overweight and physically very active :( I find keeping my legs up after standing helps them from looking completely awful, and also my doctor told me that if I am a normal light body weight and exercise my legs as much as possible, the varicose veins won't develop as fast. The doctor suggested that when I sit on a chair I lift my legs up to 90 degree angle about 50 times or so, and increase the repetitions over time, and also take up leg strengthening sports like soccer. I'm planning to have the foam injected when I'm older and the veins get worse (particularly the green snake on my left knee), it's meant to work really well apparently without all the blood and gore of old fashioned operations. But I'm with Noellem87 that you shouldn't let varicose veins bother you too much.