Family History Worry

[kekusss111]

Both my grandma and my older sister have had issues with their leg veins and I think I'm starting to see similar stuff on mine. Problem is one of them calls it spider veins and the other says varicose veins so I'm totally confused. Can you clarify what makes spider veins different from varicose veins? Want to catch this early if it's something that runs in families.

 

[kekusss111]

Hey! So I totally get the confusion - my mom used to mix these up too until her doc explained it. Basically spider veins are those small red/purple web-like lines you see close to the skin surface, usually on legs or face. They're pretty flat and don't bulge out. Varicose veins are the chunky blue/purple ones that actually stick out and look rope-like under your skin - those are the gnarly ones. Both are vein issues but varicose veins mean the valves inside aren't working right so blood pools and stretches the vein. Spider veins are more cosmetic usually, while varicose can actually cause achiness or heaviness in your legs. My aunt waited forever to deal with hers thinking they were "just spider veins" and ended up with these massive varicose ones that really bothered her. She finally got them checked and wished she'd gone sooner! I found this article super helpful when I was researching for myself: varicose veins vs spider veins - breaks down the differences with pictures which helped me figure out what I was looking at. Definitely worth getting checked since you mentioned family history - that stuff does run in families for sure!