Sometimes, the world seems unfair. Why are all of the most delicious foods bad for you? Why does eating cake and binge-watching Netflix—two things you love—cause you to gain weight, but exercising and dieting—two things you hate—keep your body shapely and healthy? Why is soda so much tastier than water, and drinking wine more fun than running errands? In the same way, a lot of the things people love can cause them to develop bulging veins. Let’s take a look at a few common culprits.

Your Parents

Hopefully, you love your parents, but you may want to give them dirty looks when you learn that some studies show that a propensity for developing varicose veins is genetic. That means if one or both of your parents suffered from bulging veins, you may be more likely to develop them yourself. To prevent bulging veins caused by genetics, make sure you’re getting the recommended amount of exercise, and consider discussing the benefits of wearing compression socks with your doctor.

Your Job

You may hate your job, but hopefully the opposite is true and you love it. However, your job may be a major contributor to your likelihood of developing bulging veins. Jobs where you sit all day—like office workers—or jobs where you stand all day—like servers or athletes—can cause bulging veins from being in one position for hours at a time. To reduce the risk, make sure to alternate between sitting down and being on your feet as often as possible while doing your job.

Your Designer Shoes

Your favorite pair of high-heeled shoes may perfectly compliment every outfit you own, but wearing high heels too often is another common cause of bulging veins. Heels inhibit blood’s natural flow through the lower half of your body, causing blood valves to have to work harder to move blood from your feet back up your legs. Eventually, hard-working blood valves will be more likely to fail and form bulging veins. Alternate between heels and flats frequently to reduce your risk of bulging veins.

A Nice Glass of Wine

Many people spend the day looking forward to indulging in a nice glass of relaxing wine to unwind in the evening after work. However, drinking wine—or any alcoholic beverage—too often can result in the development of spider veins in your face. Appearing as red blotches, spider veins in the face can be cause by excessive alcohol intake, so reduce your risk of developing spider veins in your face by limiting the frequency in which you drink wine or other alcohol to relax.

Treatment Options for Bulging Veins

If you learned these lessons too late or just weren’t willing to give up your favorite things to avoid bulging veins, you can seek treatment that will potentially get rid of your vein issues for good. To learn more about treatment options and potential costs, use our bulging vein treatment cost calculator.