Spider / Reticular veins Some Causes are in common with varicose veins ( pregnancy, occupation that involves long hours of standing ) and some additional ones are hormonal fluctuations ( pregnancy, puberty, menopause ), obesity (which can stretch the skin and be traumatic to these veins, in addition to making them more superficial ) and trauma from prolonged pressure as seen in frequent cross-continent fliers and yes more sinister things can happen.
it's hard to differentiate between spider and reticular ( and hence i have included both, becos i think the image presented in the challenge has both )...but varicose veins really stands apart from the other 2 ....kindaa more intimidating by it's sheer size and tortuosity ( jusy likaa nat. bodybulder vs a guy on steroids ;-) ) also spider and reticular r dealt with similarly by the cosmetic dermatologist.
