Bulging Veins On Your Hands & Why They Pop Out

Bulging hand veins can be perfectly normal, but can be a valid cosmetic concern if their enlarged look bothers you. Sometimes, enlarged hand veins are due to a more serious vein condition, such as varicose veins. It’s always a good idea to see your vein doctor about bulging veins in your hands for proper diagnosis. We can recommend effective vein treatments to improve the look of veiny hands, and improve your health by restoring proper circulation.

A Guide to the Bulging Veins on Your Hands

Bulging veins can occur due to:

• Temporarily rising blood pressure and/or body temperature. When you’re exercising or working with your hands, blood flow in the area increases. Veins also swell in warmer conditions, as the body sends blood toward the surface of the skin to cool down. When you’re cold, veins tend to shrink temporarily.
• Weight lifting. Serious weight lifters develop hard muscles and enlarged, rope-like arm/hand veins.
• Aging. As we age, body fat is redistributed and skin becomes thinner, making veins more prominent.
• Underweight. If you’re thin, your hand veins may become more visible.
• Heredity. Large veins may run in your family.
• Superficial blood clot. You may feel or see a small bulge in a hand or wrist vein, due to injury or use of an IV. 
• Phlebitis. Large veins may be due to vein swelling, or inflammation. 
• Varicose veins. Although they most often occur in the legs, varicose veins can show up in arms or hands, too.

Enlarged, varicose veins can bulge out as a result of blood pooling in the vein. This happens when the one-way valves inside the veins are damaged and/or weakened from age. Instead of keeping blood flowing against gravity towards the heart, vein valves let blood leak back down into the hand. Using advanced Doppler Ultrasound equipment, we can examine your veins and blood flow in detail. Whether your visible hand veins are diagnosed as cosmetic, or due to a more serious issue like varicose veins, our vein doctor can treat them with one of our advanced, minimally invasive vein treatments. 

Getting Rid of the Veins on Your Hands

Arm and hand vein treatments include:

• Laser therapy: Endovenous ablation therapy (EVLT) uses a thin laser fiber to collapse and heat-seal abnormal veins closed. As the fiber is withdrawn, the vein is removed. Local anesthesia ensures your comfort throughout.
• Ambulatory Microphlebectomy: Problem veins are removed through tiny incisions using a small, hooked instrument under local anesthesia.
• Ultrasound Guided Sclerotherapy (UGS): For deeper varicose veins not suitable for laser treatment, a chemical foam is injected into the vein, using ultrasound to locate the precise area. Irritated vein walls collapse, seal shut and are disposed of by the body.

Learn more about treating varicose veins on our vein treatments page.

What to Expect After Hand Vein Procedures

After the targeted vein is treated and closed, blood is naturally re-rerouted through the area in nearby healthy veins. The collapsed vein is gradually broken down by the body. Vein treatment recovery is quick, with only minor discomfort and minimal downtime. Procedures take under an hour, then you go home. You can typically continue with normal activities 24 hours later.

Meet Our Vein Physicians in Kentucky

Our experienced Kentucky vein doctors use the latest treatments and technology to get rid of your bulging hand veins. If you’re concerned about visible veins in your hands, you can count on VIA Vein Center for expert diagnosis and treatment. Contact us today.