Arm Veins

Visible veins can appear anywhere on your body — although they often pop up on your face, legs, hands and feet.

Unsightly veins on your arms can cause real embarrassment issues, so that you feel forced to wear long-sleeve shirts all the time, even in the summer. They also can be painful and could be a sign of a serious medical condition. Dr. Dmitry Gorelik and his staff at the Varicose Vein Center of New Jersey have painless treatments to eliminate those problematic arm veins. Call today for a consultation.

Bulging arm are most common on athletes and fitness enthusiasts who repeatedly lift heavy weights.

Workers who perform strenuous activity every day also seem to have a greater share of bulging arm veins than other people. However, unsightly arm veins can appear for a wide range of reasons, including:

• Genetic disposition
• Advanced age
• Damaged blood vessels
• Gender, as women are more susceptible
• Pregnancy and other hormonal changes
• Dehydration
• Obesity
• Physical and emotional stress
• Overworking your arm muscles

Veins on Arms Anatomy Lesson

Your cardiovascular system is a complex web of blood vessels that carry blood from your lungs and your heart to the rest of your body … and back again. Every artery and vein in your body is designed to funnel blood in one direction. In essence, your veins are all one-way streets for blood flow.

Arteries carry oxygenated blood to every cell in your body. Veins direct depleted blood back to your heart and lungs. To keep the blood flowing in the right direction, your veins have one-way valves that open to allow blood to pass through, and then close to prevent blood from flowing backward.

When the valves in your veins stop working properly, blood can leak backward or even pool in sections. This happens most often in your legs, hands and feet, where the veins have to fight gravity to keep your blood moving. But it happens in your arms, too. Stuck blood weakens the vein walls. As the pressure builds up inside, the veins tend to enlarge.

Reasons for the Swollen Vein

Visible veins are unattractive, but they usually don’t signal a serious medical condition. The most common reason for the veins in your arms to swell is a faulty vein valve. Valves may stop functioning properly due to wear and tear, which is why you see older adults and weightlifters with bulging veins. Additionally, your skin thins and loses its elasticity as you grow older, allowing the swollen veins in your arm to become more visible.

Common diagnoses for bulging, unsightly veins in your arms include:

• Varicose veins. Large, bulging veins in your arms appear as dark purple or blue veins that often look twisted.
• Spider veins. A milder form of varicose veins, spider veins appear as thin red lines that often resemble a spider web.
• Venous insufficiency. This vein condition develops due to failure of the vein valves and weakening of the vein walls.
• Venous stasis ulcer. An ulcer can form on or under your skin as a consequence of venous insufficiency and other vein conditions.

Signs of Problematic Veins in the Arms

Visible veins in your arms or hands don’t normally cause any painful symptoms. But vein pain can happen if you develop a blood clot. Phlebitis is a temporary blood clot that occurs in veins beneath the skin’s surface. Deep vein thrombosis, however, is a more serious condition, as the blood clot can travel to your heart or lungs.

Troublesome symptoms of veiny hands and arms include:

• Twisted or bulging veins that give your hands a greenish-blue tinge
• Large throbbing veins
• Itchiness, bruising or a burning sensation
• Discoloration of the skin around the veins in your arm
• A swollen vein that turns painful and feels warm to touch

Treating Vein Pain in Your Arms

Diagnosis starts with a consultation with Dr. Dmitry Gorelik, the vein specialist at the Varicose Vein Center of New Jersey. Once he reaches his diagnosis, he designs an appropriate treatment plan to take care of your visible veins. Most of the treatments are non-invasive and can help you regain flawless-looking arms with little effort.

Some of the treatments that Dr. Gorelik may prescribe for your problematic arm veins include:

• Endovenous laser ablation. This procedure uses laser energy to seal the visible veins. Your body absorbs them within several months.
• Endovenous radiofrequency ablation. Instead of laser energy, this procedure uses radio waves to cut off the blood supply to targeted veins.
• Sclerotherapy for spider veins and for varicose veins. These procedures are identical; they differ based on the size of the target vein. Dr. Gorelik injects the problem veins with a liquid chemical that closes the veins. You may need several treatments before the veins become completely invisible.
• Laser therapy for spider veins. This non-invasive procedure uses bursts of laser light to fade your visible veins.
• Ambulatory phlebotomy. This is a minor surgical procedure that allows your vein doctor to remove the visible veins just beneath the skin surface. You can go home the same day.

If you have arm veins you want removed, visit the best vain specialist in northern New Jersey. Contact the Varicose Vein Center of New Jersey for an appointment with Dr. Gorelik.