What are Veiny Hands?
Hand veins can become more prominent and bulge out of the skin as the skin ages and lose elasticity and fat. The hand veins can, however, affect younger adults as well. The veiny hands are quite normal and do not pose a medical problem; however, many people seek treatment purely for cosmetic reasons. Men have more visible veins in their hands than women, but they are less likely to seek treatment. Bulging hand veins are not the same as varicose veins in the legs.
What Causes Veiny Hands?
Age is usually the cause of bulging veins that become darker and more visible. Reduced body fat can also contribute to this appearance, and some people may be predisposed to develop these veins genetically.
1. Age
Your skin thins and loses elasticity as you age, making your veins more visible. In addition, as you age, the valves in your veins weaken. This can lead to blood pooling in your veins for an extended period of time. This causes the vein to enlarge.
2. Exercise
Yes! Unfortunately, exercise – the ultimate way to maintain beauty and fitness – can have a negative impact on your delicate hands! Strength training can raise your arterial blood pressure. This can cause your muscles to harden and push the veins to the skin’s surface, resulting in veiny hands.
What to do: Regardless of its cosmetic effects, exercise (when done properly and in the appropriate amounts) is completely healthy. Only if your veins are painful or swollen should you be concerned and seek medical attention.
3. Genetics
A genetic predisposition to veiny hands may exist! Genetics play a significant role in determining how we look, what diseases we are predisposed to, and so much more – including veiny hands. If your relatives (e.g., mother, father, siblings, etc.) have veiny hands, there’s a good chance you already have or will have veiny hands as well.
What to do: If this is the cause of your veiny hands, there’s nothing to worry about! However, if you want to get rid of your veiny hands, you can also try laser treatments or fat-filling procedures.
4. Body Fat Percentage is Low
The amount of fat under the skin is much less if you have a low body fat percentage. The veins appear closer to the skin as a result, resulting in veiny hands. Even if your veins are visible, the ideal body fat percentage does not give the hands an unhealthy appearance.
What to do: Consult a nutritionist to design a diet plan that will help you gain body fat if you believe your body fat percentage is below the ideal requirement.
5. Hot weather
Heat can contribute to the visibility of your veins. Veins dilate and expand as temperatures rise. This expansion places additional strain on the vein wall, which can be painful or crampy. When blood pools under the skin as a result of hot weather, you may notice blue ropey veins on your hands.
6. Weight Loss
When you begin to lose weight, the fat layer beneath your skin begins to dissolve, revealing your veins. This can cause veins to appear on your hands.
What to do: Don’t worry; this is a normal part of the weight loss process. Only see a doctor if the veins become painful or swollen.
You can choose how to deal with your veiny hands now that you understand the various causes! Sclerotherapy is one option. Sclerotherapy is a medical treatment for varicose and spider veins.
7. Cardiovascular Disorders and Diseases
Venous blood return is sluggish and slow in some long-standing cardiovascular diseases, resulting in bulging veins or swelling over the hands but has no bearing on varicose veins.
Other symptoms of cardiovascular diseases can be seen in other parts of the body as well. Most people have veiny hands, which require cosmetic attention on a regular basis. This is because the veins weaken as a result of overstretching.
The Treatment of Veiny Hands
The treatment for bulging hand veins is determine by the cause. People seek treatment for cosmetic rather than medical reasons in the majority of cases. The majority of bulging hand veins do not require any treatment.
As a result, if a person’s insurance does not cover cosmetic surgery, they may have to pay for the procedure out of pocket.
The treatment options for cosmetic bulging veins are similar to those for varicose veins. They are as follows:
- Ambulatory phlebectomy: This procedure involves making a small incision around the vein and removing the problematic section of the vessel.
- Vein stripping and ligation: This procedure will necessitate general anesthesia. To close the vein, a doctor will seal and tie it off. This technique is typically reserved for larger veins.
- Dermal filler: Dermal filler is inject into the subcutaneous tissue surrounding the veins to build up the surrounding tissue and conceal the visible veins (as seen in our before and after pictures). This is a safe and minimally invasive procedure that can be complete quickly and with no downtime.
- Sclerotherapy: Although we offer this treatment for varicose veins in the legs, we do not recommend it for varicose veins in the arms due to the risk of a deep vein clot in the arm. Sclerotherapy involves injecting a medication into the veins, which causes them to close. The closed vein is then absorbed by the body. It is used successfully at Palm Clinic to treat varicose veins in the legs.
- Endovenous ablation therapy: This can be performed with either laser therapy or radiofrequency ablation therapy. Again, this procedure is available at Palm Clinic for the treatment of varicose veins in the legs, but it is deemed too risky (when less invasive alternatives exist) for cosmetic treatment of arm or hand veins.
- Treatment of phlebitis: Typically, we will ensure that the clot does not involve any deep veins. If the clot is limited to the surface veins, we would recommend anti-inflammatory medication as well as compression of the hand or arm veins. If the superficial clot is severe, we may prescribe an anticoagulant (blood thinning medication) to reduce the likelihood of a more serious deep vein clot forming.
Treatment of a deep vein arm clot will necessitate the use of an anticoagulant (blood thinner).
Vein stripping and ligation is a more involved surgical procedure that includes a general anesthetic, tying off the vein, and cutting it out. We do not recommend this treatment for treating arm or hand veins because it is too dangerous and invasive for a cosmetic procedure.
Following any of these procedures, the body will route blood through the remaining healthy veins. After a while, the problematic vein will fade and disappear.
If a doctor determines that the veins are bulging as a result of an underlying medical condition, he or she will recommend targeted therapy.
A person has phlebitis, treatment may include taking antibiotics or anti-inflammatories, applying warm compresses, and keeping the hand elevated.
The cause is thrombophlebitis, a doctor may advise the patient to wait it out. The pain usually goes away in 3-4 weeks. Warm compresses or over-the-counter pain relievers can help in the meantime.
In The Bottom Line
For the vast majority of people, bulging hand veins do not indicate a serious medical condition.
Make an appointment with your doctor if you’re concerned that your prominent hand veins are a sign of something serious, or if you simply don’t like the way they look. They can recommend treatment if there is a serious problem. If you want them removed for cosmetic reasons, your doctor will recommend the best procedure for you.
