What Causes Bulging Hand Veins and How to Fix Them

Have you ever wondered why your hand veins seem so large and SOOO visible? Have you ever felt self-conscious about these bulging hand veins?  If you answered yes to either of these questions, you are not alone.   Millions of women (and men) around the world have this.  Even me.  

These enlarged hand veins make you look older and are a dead giveaway as to your true age. Even if your face is that of a 12 -year-old, your hands will always betray you.

The good news is, you need not worry about your hand veins bulging, ever again.   

Because in this article, you will discover:

• what causes bulging hand veins
• what stops bulging hand veins popping out 
• how to reduce the appearance of enlarged hand veins
• how to get rid of hand veins popping out for good using medical or surgical procedures.

What Causes Bulging Veins?

Simply getting older is one reason. Just look at my hand, and, oh yeah, my arm in the picture.  Nice bulging forearm vein there, wouldn't you say?

As you age, you lose both collagen and fat. And that means that the plump protective layer underneath the skin and above the veins goes away revealing the largish purple veins laying close to the skin making them easy to see. 

When you are younger, you have plenty of fat and collagen which form that deep plump layer to protect the veins in your hands as well as push them down, away from your skin.

Besides aging? What causes veins in hands to bulge?

Hot Weather – hot weather just makes your hands and veins swell…making both appear larger.

Medical Condition – vascular disease can be the instigator of what causes hand veins bulging.   Always check with your physician with any concern you may be having. Do not be Dr. Google and self-diagnose like I do.  That always leads me to trouble….

Exercise - Exercise is another factor that increases the size of your hand veins popping out.  From lifting weights to power walks.

My hand veins bulge all the time from working out.

Here’s how: Blood flows through the veins and floods the muscles. All this hard work causes your veins to be pushed closer to the surface of your body.

Your hands are most susceptible because the skin is quite thin on your hands to begin with.  And your hands are the last stop for blood flow before being returned to your heart.

Let's have some fun and do a little experiment.  Something I learned on TV for showcasing jewelry and is my favorite tip and technique to make blue bulging hand veins disappear.  Even if for a few minutes.

Drop your arms by the sides of your body and wait for a minute or 2. Then look down at your hands. Do you see how large the hand veins get? 

Now raise your arms up and hold them above your head.   Wait a minute or two…

Now LOOK UP at your hands. Do you see how the oversized veins DON’T look so big anymore?

Isn’t it amazing how fast your hand veins disappear so quickly simply by lifting your arms up and over your head! 

Once you lower your hands, the result will last for several minutes, if you keep your hands parallel to the floor. Long enough to show off that beautiful ring, shake someone’s hand or make a toast to the newlywed couple.

Now, if you did not try our little experiment, I did it for you!  And took pictures to show the difference.

In the before picture on the left, I have placed my hands down by my sides. You can see the socks on my feet!  Look at how my hand veins bulge out!!! Even the arm veins are bulging.  Can you see the reddish tone of my hand?

Now look at the after picture on the right.  You can see my ceiling at the tip of my fingertips.

My hand veins smaller and the color of my skin is whiter!

What is happening? Blood flow. 

By dropping your hands by your sides, the blood is pooling in your hands making your veins pop. When you raise your arms above your head, the blood flows away from your hands, making your arm and hand veins smaller, and skin brighter.

Fact of the matter is, I use this simple little trick every time I need to show my hands on television!  Or whenever I want to admire the youthfulness on my hands.  

And this is a little trick you can use for yourself whenever or wherever you are!

How to get rid of bulging hand veins

Good news is there are several choices to effectively erase the look of hand veins (oversized or not) as well as a treatment for hand veins which can remove the larger, unwanted veins on your hands once and for all, including:

• Collagen Supplementation 
• Covering them up with cosmetics
• Using various fillers to push oversized hand veins back down
• Sclerotherapy for hand veins
• Surgery to cut out the veins

Collagen Supplementation

Yes, collagen protein supplementation can help get rid of hand veins naturally as it helps to restore lost collagen throughout your entire body.  Along with a litany of other anti-aging, reverse aging, and  health benefits you receive by consuming collagen protein.

As we spoke earlier, more collagen means plumper hands. Plumper hands mean hand veins pushed further down. 

I personally have seen a huge difference – meaning reduction in the size of my hand veins – both big and small, since I started drinking TK Collagen Restore 7 years ago. Have they gone away completely? Nope (as I have not resorted to surgery). But they are much better.

Cover Up Hand Veins with Cosmetics

Another easy way to get rid of unsightly hand veins naturally is with an opaque foundation or concealer. 

Please understand, traditional make-up foundation does not have enough pigment in the formulation to completely cover the offending blue hand veins you want to get rid of. 

However, there are a few foundations that do have enough pigment and a few  to choose from including Smart Cover Camouflage Concealer plus your choice of Derma Blend Leg and Body or Derma Blend Quick Fix Body Foundation Stick.   Myself?  I have used DermaBlend..It works and looks natural.

Prices range from $22 to $30 depending upon where you shop. Simply apply the concealer on the visible bluish/purple veins on your hands and blend. 

If you want to get creative, here is a make-up trick of mine:  use a highlighter in the hollows of the knuckles and in between the shallow's found between the veins, bones, and tendons.

This highlighting/lowlighting technique is the same technique we use on our faces to create a youthful looking appearance and will help minimize the look of the veins on your hands.

Injectable Fillers to Get Rid of Unwanted Hand Veins

When you have lost your collagen and fat in your hands, fillers are your next best bet to minimize the appearance of oversized hand veins. 

Fillers are an in-house procedure with virtually no down time and no anesthetic. You may experience slight bruising. Results typically last 3 to 6 months. 

Cost can be anywhere from $600 to $2,000+ depending upon how much you need.

Multiple choices are available including, fat replacement, Hyaluronic Acid, Radiesse and Restylane.

Radiesse

Radiesse is a filler used by plastic surgeons and med spas to hide both bulging and everyday veins on the hands. As a bonus, even knuckles and fingers can get a makeover too.

According to Dennis Gross, MD New York Dermatologist, “Radiesse for hands is the first FDA approved treatment that makes the veins on the back of the hands disappear with INSTANT results!”

“How this procedure works is that the Radiesse is injected on the back of the hands between the knuckles, in between the veins and even on the fingers. It firms and plumps the thinned skin, making veins there go beneath the surface.”

Dr. Gross also claims the procedure is simple, zero pain with no downtime and the result is amazing! Slight bruising may occur.

Restylane

Restylane Silk is another filler that volumizes and hydrates to give support to the back of the hands. This minimizes the appearance of deep dark veins on the back of the hands making the hand look younger.

Fat Transfer

Check out that picture on the right! WOW! HUGE DIFFERENCE. 

Fat transfer to the hands is another popular technique used today to hide the bluish-purple hand veins. As with the Restylane and Radiesse, fat adds more volume to your hand which in turn pushes the oversized hand veins further down in the hand. The fat treatments recommended for hand vein minimalization is a relatively easy one as fat is harvested from parts of your body (where you have a little extra to spare) in the same way fat is removed via liposuction. 

The fat is cleaned and spun to capture the stem cells and finally injected back into your hands. The results are long lasting, and more than one session may be required to get desired results. Typically, a surgeon or trained injector will overfill the hands as on average the body absorbs approximately 30-40% of the fat back into the body. 

Absorption rates vary based on your body. And remember, you want the fat beneath the skin on your hands to hide the oversized veins on your hands that are making you unhappy. 

Costs of fat fillers are typically more expensive than other fillers ranging from $2,000 to $5,000. In some cases, anesthesia is required resulting in additional costs.

Medical Procedures to Remove Hand Veins

Now, you might be wondering, “ is it possible and is it safe to remove veins in my hands?”. I asked myself that very same question. Happy to report the medical experts say yes! 

Here’s the scoop:   Along with the veins you can see sitting just below the surface of your skin, hand veins are also found deeper, below the skins surface. 

It is because of these “deeper hand veins” the removal of the surface veins are completely safe, as the blood finds additional routs below the surface veins. 

To ensure you are a candidate, your physician will perform simple tests to assess that your underlying veins are healthy and functioning properly. You may experience a slight swelling of the fingers following either treatment, but like all surgery, this does subside based on you, your procedure and how you heal.

Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy is a proven treatment for  hand veins and been around since the 1930's.  It  is considered one of the fastest, most effective, virtually pain free medical treatments around to get rid of unwanted, bulging hand veins. 

With little or no downtime and risks, this medical procedure involves the injection of a saline solution, or a saltwater/chemical solution known as a “sclerosant” into the bulging hand veins.  As this can be done is about a 30-minute outpatient setting, it is also a very affordable treatment ranging between $400 and $1200 per treatment, depending upon location and doctor. 

Compression gloves will need to be worn for a few days or weeks after the procedure. 

Surgical Removal for Bulging Hand Veins

Mr. Paul Baskerville, a highly skilled and respected vascular surgeon based in London recommends surgical removal if the veins are oversized and/or tortuous (twisted), which would not allow the sclerotherapy procedure to get maximum results. 

For this medical procedure, a technique using radio frequency or small puncture incisions is used to remove the veins. Expect your hands to be bandaged for about one week after surgery. Bruising? Yes. And expect the bruising to last anywhere from 2-3 weeks for it to completely go away. This procedure requires anesthesia and an overnight stay.

Final tips for long term hand and hand vein happiness.

• Always wear a sunscreen on your hands.
• Try to keep your hands and arms horizontal to the ground, such as resting on your lap, to limit blood pooling in your extremities.
• Keep hands always moisturized. 
• Look for collagen enhancing moisturizers to replenish and restore youthful looking skin.
• Always eat collagen boosting foods.
• Start a new fashion trend and wear gloves when outside.

So, there you have it!  And I hope this has helped answer all your questions

Everything you wanted and needed to know about bulging hand veins and how to get rid of them! 

From collagen supplementation to opaque concealers and foundations, to injections of FDA approved fillers to surgery, there is a solution for you that fits into your price range and comfort zone. Please let me know how it goes!

Till next time Growing younger every day. KO

Reference:

https://www.topdoctors.co.uk/medical-articles/hand-vein-treatment-is-it-possible-to-remove-bulging-veins-in-the-hand https://www.veinvascular.com/hand-vein-treatment/ https://varicoseveins.org/hand-veins/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-lnYk2eeKI
http://www.sunshineveinclinic.com.au/gallery/
https://veintreatmentcenter.com/before-and-after/hands/