We often see people having swollen veins in their hands. After the face, hands are the most visible part of the body which may become a tell tale sign of a person’s age. Appearance of swollen veins may be scary, but it is not always unhealthy as many normal individuals have bulging veins in their hands.
Swollen veins in hands are the superficial veins; they lie just below the skin surface. You may not be able to observe deep veins as they lie deep inside the body.
As with age spots and wrinkles, many people are also concerned with appearance of bulging veins in their hands. They are more of a cosmetic problem, though it is not the only cause. There are several other organic reasons where you may see swollen veins in hands, let us know those causes.
What Causes Swollen Veins In Hands?
- As we age, the veins become less elastic. This allows the blood to remain in them for a longer time which makes them to protrude towards the skin.At the same time the skin has become thin and less elastic due to aging. Both this factors together make the vein more visible and enlarged. It is a natural physiological process and there is no serious concern.
- Swollen veins in hand are not the only problem with people who are aging. A young person who does extensive strenuous exercise may also have bulging veins in his hands. A person performing strength training exercise or person who has to lift heavy weight while working has prominent veins. The veins in hands become bigger in these individuals because of increase in the blood flow.
- The veins also dilate when you become hot after a gym session. This is the reason why many people notice prominent veins in their hands after a workout in gym. After some hours, when the blood flow becomes normal, the veins in hands of these patients reduce in size.
Besides the normal physiological reasons, there are some organic causes for swollen veins such as:
- Varicose veins: it is the swelling of veins which mainly affects the veins of the legs, but sometimes it can also affect the hands. The blood remains stagnated due to faulty valves inside the veins. This causes swelling of veins.
- An imbalance of hormones when a woman is pregnant or when she has reached menopause can cause swelling of veins in the hands.
- An inflammation of the vein also called phlebitis resulting from infection in the hand can give rise to swollen vein.
- Thrombophlebitis is common after administration of intravenous fluid.
Swollen Veins In Hands Symptoms
The symptoms of swollen veins in hands may be due to the under lying condition.
- If the cause is thromboplebitis, there will be itching, burning pain, redness and warmth of the skin of the hand.
- Swollen vein in aging individuals may be flaccid and non elastic. The skin may appear thin and fragile. The vein may feel hardened when you palpate.
- With varicose vein in hands, which is very rare, there may be feeling of heaviness in the hand. There may be associated darkening of skin in the affected hand. When the vein becomes too delicate due to varicosity, it may start bleeding abruptly. This is rare phenomenon in hands, but most often it is noticed in varicose veins in legs.
Treatment For Bulging Veins In Hands
In most cases swollen veins in hands may not require any treatment as the cause may be aging process or due to other physiological changes arising in the body. People who do strength training exercise may also need no treatment.
However, many people may opt for treatment protocol purely for cosmetic reasons. For them the aged looking hands with prominent veins may clash with facelift or eyelid surgery.
- Sclerotherapy is one such procedure where a sclerosant is injected by the doctor in the prominent vein. Sclerosant is a material which constricts the walls of veins and reduces its size.
- Laser therapy helps to reduce the size of vein. It is a simple non invasive procedure and takes less time for the treatment.
- Stripping of vein is another surgical procedure usually performed for varicose veins. It is generally performed in lower extremity.
- Ligation of vein is another procedure to reduce the size of vein.
For phlebitis, meaning inflammation of vein caused due to infection, antibiotics and anti inflammatory treatment is generally advised by the physician.