Varicose veins are abnormally and irregularly swollen veins (the blood vessels that return blood to the heart from the body tissues).

The most common form of varicose veins progresses downward in either or both of two large veins near the surface of the leg.

Varicose veins are one of the most common problems of blood vessels. About 15 percent of all American adults eventually develop varicose veins. The condition occurs four times more often in women than in men. Most people with varicose veins...