The term "varicose veins" comes from the Middle High German "Krump-Adern", i.e. crooked or tortuous veins. A distinction is made between the following types of varicose veins:

Trunk and side branch varicosis

Trunk and side branch varicosis, which is also of the greatest medical importance, occurs in the course of the small and large rose veins and their side branches, i.e. on the inside of the leg and on the back of the calf. If someone suffers from trunk and/or side branch varicosis, this is an indication of advanced venous disease, which can lead to an open leg if left untreated.

Reticular varicosis (reticular varicosis)

Reticular varicose veins are dilated small veins that lie just under the skin and can occur anywhere on the leg. They have hardly any effect on blood flow. They mainly play a cosmetic role, but it is possible that in individual cases they may cause local discomfort such as itching, pain, etc.

Burst veins (spider veins)

These smallest and finest veins are called spider veins because they resemble the branches of birch twigs that used to be tied into birch twigs. The cause of their formation is unclear and their significance is almost exclusively cosmetic.

Reticular varicosis and spider veins can be the first signs and precursors of vein disease.