Varicose Veins

Hi Ladies!

I'm hoping some of you might be able to help with tips, tricks or suggestions.
My beautiful Mum developed varicose veins on her lower legs (knee down) 23 years ago when she was pregnant with me...my bad! Anyway, she's extremely self concious about it and will only wear long pants, full length leggings, maxi dresses and if she does wear a shorter dress then opaque black pantyhose are a must. She will never ever go out in public with her bare legs exposed and even around the house it's very rare for her to wear anything other than that - I could probably count on one hand the amount of time I've seen her in shorts. It makes me sad that she's not comfortable, especially in the Summer heat. My Mum is a nurse and keeps herself in shape; she's 54 years old, 5'9 tall and about 65kgs, size 10-12 and I don't think her body is something she should be hiding as much as she does but I do understand that makes her uncomfortable, of course. Ideally, the best method for reducing the appearance and pain associated with varicose veins is to get certain injections that she has had priced up and it will cost upwards of $4000 which isn't doable at the moment. They are mainly on the front of her legs and the varicose veins on her left leg are more severe, prominent in colour and swollen than those on her right. She's tried a few different products, natural and otherwise to help reduce it but no luck yet. Like everyone else in my family (apart from me; I must be a throwback!), she has a lovely olive/beige skin tone and can tan up quite nicely but as she doesn't expose her legs they're super duper white which is why she's previously used self tanners and I thought about about getting her another - anything to make her feel a bit better about herself.
I thought I'd try give as much information as possible. So, if there's anyone out there who's suffering or has suffered from varicose veins and has any remedies to reduce swelling and/or appearance then please share! It'd be much appreciated. Thanks all x

Horse chestnut is great for varicose veins. There is also a procedure that you can get done (my mother in law is looking into it at the moment) where a doctor injects a saline solution into the veins. May be worth looking into..... :)

Thanks suzyelizabeth. Haven't heard of horse chestnut for varicose veins before but i'll definitely mention it. Yeah, that's the procedure my Mum looked into aswell. She had a consultation at Springdale Clinic in Botany, Auckland and they quoted $4000 odd dollars. It's such a shame it's not funded because it can cause extreme pain. My mum quite often has to wear pressure stockings if they get too sore and swollen :(

Gah! That's a crazy price, such a shame as it will be so unaccessable for many people. Definitely look into a horse chestnut supplement. If you ask at a health store that has some experienced health practitioners working there you should be able to get some advice about it. Or your Mum could go and see a good herbalist or naturopath. My mother in law (who has 8 kids) is also very embarrassed about her legs & experiences a lot of pain.

I'm afraid to say I dont think anything will fix them except surgery. We learnt about them at uni, they are the result of blood pooling in your veins as the valves in your veins become less effective (sorry to go all sciencey on you there). 

Scelerotherapy can help.  It involves injecting an agent into the vein which causes it close up and eventually disappear.  It doesn't involve surgical procedures nor instruments - only needle and the agent.  I recommend if she wants to try it to search it online.  Also with her job involved being on her feet a lot, I recommend to elevate legs after work (Im sure she does already) and if possible to wear TEDS stockings (compression stockings).  Hope this helps :) and you are right, I do not think her physique is a big contribution for it.

Maybe more of a mask than a cure, but my mom does spray tan to help camouflage the veins. You could make a day of it and go to the spa, which could help give a bit of a confidence boost as well. :) 

Thanks all. The costly procedure that I refer to is the one that involves injections and unfortunately it's not funded in anyway despite the pain it may cause. Not looking for any cures, mainly just ways to help reduce the appearance a little and hopefully make my Mum feel more comfortable and relax a little especially as it's getting hotter now. Hopefully she can get the procedure in the near future, who knows? suzyelizabeth, that is a great idea and there's enough around to make it easy to atleast enquire about it, thanks! Yeah, she does use compression stockings, ieseon and does what she can to ease it. Hehe, definitely not anything to do with her physique; I just thought I'd mention it so people didn't assume it was something to do with that. Developed when she was pregnant with me, it's all my fault lol.
I mentioned a spray tan to her today, gaijinchick - that's exactly what I'm after, although it doesn't reduce the swelling it'll make it less noticeable and make her feel a bit happier about them. Neither one of us had even thought of that and she has used self tanners before and liked them so it's definitely a good idea; I'll look into it for her.
I really appreciate all of your replies and will pass them on! :) x