When most people think of visible signs of aging, they think of lines, wrinkles, and other changes that affect the face. But for many people, it’s their hands that tend to give away their age first, especially if they have visible, prominent hand veins.
At Laser & Varicose Vein Treatment Center, our vascular surgeons help women and men feel more confident about their hands with state-of-the-art treatments designed to eliminate unsightly veins and improve the hands’ appearance. In this post, find out more about prominent hand vein treatment and when it might make sense for you.
Visible hand veins are common, and they’re not a sign of a serious medical problem in most cases. In fact, when hand veins become visible, it’s usually due to age-related changes in your skin and tissues.
As you get older, your skin loses collagen and the fat layer found just beneath the skin tends to decrease. Combined, these effects cause your skin to look and feel thinner and less plump, making superficial hand veins a lot more visible.
But sometimes, visible veins can be related to a vascular issue. Varicose veins can develop in your hands, making veins look swollen, twisted, and purplish. Some varicose veins cause symptoms like burning, stinging, or aching.
Other times, swollen veins can be related to deep vein thrombosis, a condition that happens when a clot forms inside deeper veins, interfering with blood flow. Inflammatory conditions, like phlebitis or some autoimmune conditions, can cause vein swelling, making hand veins more noticeable, too.
Some people worry that removing hand veins will compromise circulation in their hands, but that’s not the case. The veins you see are located just below the surface of your skin. Hand circulation depends largely on deeper veins — veins you can’t see or can barely make out.
Removing superficial, visible veins doesn’t negatively affect your circulation. Your body simply reroutes blood to other deeper, essential veins.
So when does hand vein removal make sense? There are a couple of reasons to have your visible veins removed: You’re bothered by their appearance, or they’re causing uncomfortable symptoms, like itching, aching, fatigue, or burning.
In both those instances, we use a time-tested vein removal technique called sclerotherapy. In this simple, in-office procedure, we inject a special solution into your vein. It collapses the vein, and blood gets rerouted. Over time, your body absorbs and eliminates the damaged vein material.
On the other hand (no pun intended), if your veins are swollen and visible because of inflammation, it’s important to treat that inflammation first with medications. After addressing the underlying cause, veins may become less visible — and then you can decide if you want to have them removed.
If visible veins are caused by a deep blood clot, your doctor may recommend blood-thinning medication or clot-busting drugs along with minimally invasive interventional treatments. In any case, our team performs a thorough vascular evaluation before recommending any treatment.
Because some visible veins on your hands or other areas of your body can be associated with underlying problems, like blood clots, having our specialists assess them is important for maintaining vascular health, preventing complications, and providing you with peace of mind.
To find out why your hand veins are bulging and what treatments can help, request an appointment online or over the phone at our Laser & Varicose Vein Treatment Center locations in Staten Island or Brooklyn, New York, today.
