If you’ve heard the rumour that crossing your legs can cause varicose veins, know that it’s half true. This is all thanks to the pressure the position can put on your legs and hips, which can cause veins to engorge with blood, and thus become more visible.

If you’re all about high heels, it may be time to wear flats every once in a while in order to give your legs a break. In high heels, your calf muscles aren’t able to act like a pump to have the blood actively flow in the veins leading to engorgement.

If you neglect your legs this can cause your veins and muscles to get lazy in a way. When you are moisturising and regularly exfoliating you are massaging your legs and improving your blood circulation.

If you haven’t been out for a walk or jog lately, it may be time to up your exercise game. When you start to lose leg muscle mass, gaps in the muscle open up and allow veins to dilate and varicose veins begin to appear.

When we sit for too long, gravity can cause blood to pool in our legs. Without the help of muscle contractions to pump that blood back upwards, varicose veins can form.

You shouldn’t rush your shaving routine, especially if you’re in the habit of nicking your skin. If you get lots of cuts this will disrupt your blood circulation in the leg area and will put a lot of pressure on the veins to deal with the problem.

Having a lot of salt in your diet can factor into the development of varicose veins. This causes water retention and increases pressure on the vessels. Keep savoury snacks to a minimum and drink plenty of water.

Standing for long periods of time, while not always easily avoided, is a habit you should keep in mind. If your job involves a lot of standing — such as bank tellers, cashiers, or teachers — this ‘static’ standing is associated with the development of varicose veins.

In case you needed one more reason to quit smoking, go ahead and add varicose veins to the list. Smoking can increase your chances of developing this painful issue. So, even though it’s difficult, it’s in your best interest to give it up.

Here’s a reason to cut back (just a little bit!) some forms of exercise. High-impact running, for one, can cause repetitive injury to the vein valves in the legs, causing them to leak, which over time causes varicose veins to develop.

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