Written by: Emma Squillace
You probably know what varicose veins are: they’re those raised, bulging, visible veins that can cause pain, swelling, and ongoing discomfort. If we asked you to name a place that people get varicose veins, you’d probably think of the legs. And you’d be right. The legs are the most common location for visible veins like varicose veins. There are several reasons for this, including how much weight your legs have to support every day. Additionally, if you stand for too long, or sit in one position for too long, it’s very easy for blood to pool in your legs.
But, we have many people who come to see us about visible veins in locations other than their legs. We know veins in the legs are treatable, but is it safe to treat these veins in other areas? Here are some parts of your body that may have spider or varicose veins:
Hands
Some people feel that their hands ‘give away’ their age more than any other part of their body. Visible, protruding veins on the hands can make people self-conscious, especially since this is one part of the body that is so hard to cover with natural clothing. Hand veins are often caused by age, but there are other causes as well. Heavy exercise and vascular problems can both lead to visible hand veins. Hands also tend to draw the eye, so people who have visible veins on their hands often want to know if it’s possible to treat them. This decision must be made on a case by case basis, but for some people we can offer highly successful treatment for visible hand veins.
Face
Spider veins are found on the face often, and these are particularly difficult to cover up. Sometimes these veins are found on cheeks and nose area, where they look like ‘broken blood vessels’. Other people will have more blue-colored veins that appear near the eye area or temples. In the past, it was not necessarily safe or easy to treat visible veins on the face because of the early technology. However, recent advances in sclerotherapy and lasers mean that treating visible veins of the face can be an option in many cases because we can target very small veins without damaging surrounding tissue.
Breasts
Women of all ages may have visible veins in their breasts, often with a bluish color. These visible veins can appear regardless of breast size, although the more full the breasts, the more often these veins are visible. The veins can become more pronounced with breast implants which may stretch your skin and allow veins to become more prominent. If you are self-conscious about visible veins in your breasts, it’s important to meet with a vein expert. In many cases, these veins respond well to treatment.
Do you have visible veins that cause you to feel discomfort, or make you self-conscious? If you do, our vein experts at West Medical would be happy to speak with you. The first consideration is to figure out if those veins are caused by an underlying medical issue like vascular insufficiency. If you do have a medical problem that needs to be addressed, we can guide you to the appropriate treatment options. If there is no medical problem present, we can help you understand your cosmetic treatment options. The safest and most efficient way to get rid of spider veins or varicose veins is usually with minimally invasive treatments such as sclerotherapy or laser treatment. Although these treatments are most often used for visible veins in the legs, we can also safely and successfully treat veins in many other areas of the body. The vein team at West Medical would be happy to answer any questions you have. You can reach us at (855) 690-0565.