Enlarged Veins on Your Arms - What Does It Mean?

Many believe that enlarged veins mean nothing but varicose. However, it’s not always true. For example, varicose veins almost never occur on the arms and hands. But what can be the reasons for bulging veins on the arms?

There can be several reasons for your veins to look like this, but in most cases there is nothing to worry about. Arm or hand vein treatment is needed very rarely. Let’s observe these reasons.

Hard work

Protruding veins on the forearms and hands are usually associated with the constant force load on the hands. Arms get tense, and the veins are widening due to increased blood flow.

For example, if your professional activity is related to working with your hands, you may have bulging veins on your arms and hands. Usually such changes are temporary - gradually the veins return to their normal size.

Low weight

In people with mild subcutaneous tissue, the veins are located close to the surface of the skin.

That is, the thinner the person, the higher the chances that the veins will show through thin skin. In this case, you should not worry - most likely, everything is okay with the veins’ health.

Age-related changes

With age, the amount of natural collagen and hyaluronic acid, which are responsible for skin elasticity, decreases in the body. Because of this, the veins also become more visible.

Varicose veins

Things are getting serious if varicose changes become the cause of the appearance of veins in the arms. This disease is associated with a decrease in the tone of the venous walls. Varicose veins may be accompanied by pain, which may be signs of other diseases: neuritis, arthrosis, arthritis. Therefore, do not postpone a visit to the doctor for diagnosis.

Varicose veins of the upper limbs are rare due to the fact that the hands are not exposed to carrying the weight of a human body, and the pressure in them is relatively low. The risk of the disease is higher in people with hormonal disorders, hereditary diseases and heavy physical work.

For the treatment of varicose veins, methods that involve minimal intervention are often used: laser therapy, phlebectomy, sclerotherapy and physiotherapeutic procedures.

Few cases of enlarged veins are of a dangerous nature. These are usually associated with congenital disorders of the structure of the vasculature of the hands and do not appear on their own. Based on this, healthy veins don't need medical intervention. Only if you are very annoyed by their look from an aesthetic point of view, you can contact a phlebologist for possible correction options.

When Do You Need to Check the Veins with a Doctor?

If you visually do not like the veins that have appeared on your arms, go to a phlebologist. They will determine whether the condition is dangerous and what to do. Most likely, special examinations will not be necessary. In such cases, ultrasound of the hands is prescribed but it’s rarely needed.

If the enlarged vein begins to hurt, the hand swells or changes color, you should go to the doctor immediately. Such symptoms are characteristic of thrombophlebitis (inflammation of the veins in which a blood clot forms). As a rule, with a hereditary predisposition to thrombosis and after a vein injury (for example, after being hit by a ball in the forearm). In this case, urgent treatment is required.

When the pathology of the veins is caused by problems with blood circulation, symptoms such as fever, hyperemia of the skin, the presence of a bump or induration at the affected site, weakness in muscles and the appearance of ulcers on the skin may occur. The running process can lead to the formation of blood clots. This is a condition that threatens a person’s life, since blood clots can come off and damage important organs. But, again, it occurs on the arms very rarely.