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Q:	I'm a 13-year old female and I have these red varicose vein-looking things on my legs, breasts, hips and arms. What are these, what caused it and what should I do? I went to my doctor and she told me to wear TED stockings. My friends would laugh at me if they saw these veins.
A:	It would be awkward for any girl to have red marks all over her skin, especially when other kids might see them, like in gym class. We are glad to hear you’ve already seen your doctor, but we’re not sure what all she told you. The opaque elastic stockings will hide the marks, but that doesn’t answer your questions about what’s causing them. Without actually being able to see your skin, we can only tell you what is most likely going on. From your description, these red marks do not sound like varicose veins. They sound like stretch marks. Varicose veins are deep veins, usually in the legs, that can’t pump blood very well and therefore become swollen. Varicose veins are quite rare in teenagers, and they do not occur in the locations you describe. On the other hand, stretch marks occur very often at puberty and in exactly those areas (thighs, hips, breasts, upper arms.) During puberty, a girl’s body deposits fat tissue in the “female distribution” and the breasts grow, the hips widen and curves develop. If the body grows rapidly, the skin stretches too fast and tears below the surface, causing red stretch marks to appear. These are actually scars, but the good news is that the color will fade to normal skin color in a year or two. Girls who gain a lot of weight at puberty are especially prone to stretch marks. Rarely a hormone problem (Cushing’s Disease) can cause deep purple stretch marks called “striae” to develop, but we hope your doctor already considered that. So what can you do while you wait for them to fade? It might help if you practice something to say if people notice the marks, such as “Oh, these are stretch marks and I’m seeing a doctor about them.” Most of your friends probably have enough worries of their own and won’t even be aware of your problem. Your self-esteem and your grades don’t have to suffer because of this. Keep telling yourself “I’m terrific” no matter what your skin looks like. You're not alone. Take a look at a few of the quetions related to this topic that other teens have asked us. I have several noticeable veins on my buttocks. What can I do to get rid of them? I've been weight training and now I have these lines on my back. What are they? Is it normal to have stretch marks on your breasts? Posted 7-27-04 Do you have a question? As a reminder, this information should not be relied on as medical advice and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor. Please read our full .