Your veins are responsible for transporting the deoxygenated blood back to your heart. For some, especially those with darker complexions, it may be hard to see the veins beneath your skin. For others with lighter complexions, though, purplish, blueish or greenish-hued veins can be seen in the hands, arms and legs.
Reasons Your Veins Are Visible
Veins can appear alongside symptoms like itching or tingling and be a sign of a medical issue. Most often, though, visible veins are simply a cosmetic concern.
Your veins could be visible for several reasons:
- Environment: Spending time in the sun or being outside during hot weather can increase your blood flow, which may cause your veins to stand out more than normal.
- Activity: During periods of intense exercise, your blood pressure rises, causing your veins to become wider and look more noticeable, especially when weightlifting.
- Genetics: Visible veins are due to your genetics, so having family members with vein issues increases the chances that you will experience them too.
- Age: As you age, you lose fatty tissue and collagen, which thins out your skin and makes your veins more noticeable.
- Hormones: Any time your body undergoes hormonal changes, like puberty or pregnancy, the amount of pressure placed on your veins can change, leading to a different appearance.
- Medical conditions: Several medical conditions ranging from varicose veins to chronic venous insufficiency can impact your blood flow and cause your veins to swell.
Visible Vein Treatment Options
Depending on the cause, something as simple as taking a break from the heat or wearing compression stockings can help reduce the appearance of your veins. Other times, you may need treatment to help make your veins less visible.
There are several different treatment options available, including:
- Sclerotherapy: During this procedure, your medical provider will inject a chemical into your veins that causes them to collapse and permanently close.
- Laser therapy: Laser surgery is especially effective for spider veins and relies on a highly specialized laser to make the vein less visible.
- Microphlebectomy: During microphlebectomy, which is minimally invasive, your vein will be removed.
- Closure system: With the closure system, a sticky substance will be used to close up the vein and reduce the blood flow to make the vein less noticeable.
Schedule a Consultation Today
Have any questions about how you can make your veins less noticeable? The team at United Vein & Vascular is here to help. Give us a call or schedule a consultation online.
