Women suffer from varicose veins more often than men. You may find that varicose veins appear, or get much worse, during pregnancy.

If the sufferer is on their feet all day, (especially standing still a lot of the time) they are more likely to suffer from varicose veins.

They appear as wriggly lines above the surface of the skin on the legs. You may find that they start to ache as the day goes on. you may also notice that your feet and ankles swell towards the end of the day, especially in hot weather.

If varicose veins get very bad, they can cause ULCERS on the ankles. If there is any ulceration use Calendula ointment to soothe.

They can also get sore and inflamed, causing redness of the skin around them.

An old treatment is :-

Every night, for a few minutes, stroke the veins upwards towards the heart applying Witch Hazel (Hamamelis) with the hands.

Simply wetting a linen bandage in cold water, wringing out and then winding it around the leg 3 or 4 times can be of help.