Nobody likes getting old, and even less like looking old. Our hands are something we use everyday, and something everyone sees, and unsightly hand veins are easily visible sources of discomfort for many people.
While not a sign of any underlying health concern, it’s still common to try to find ways to combat the loss of elasticity in the skin of our hands that causes them.
Fortunately, there are multiple options available to keep your hands looking “young” as you age over time.
Some are preventative measures that you can start doing right now to keep the process at bay, and others are more permanent solutions for when the time comes where the others no longer work well enough.
Getting Rid of Visible Veins on Hands
The best and safest option for cosmetic concerns like visible hand veins is prevention. Since the issue is the loss of elasticity in the hands, there are several easy ways to keep your hands hydrated and healthy.
The first is obviously to keep hydrated in general. Dehydration ages the skin and the hands age faster than many of the other visible parts of our bodies.
Additionally, regular use of lotion will help with moisture retention which shrinks your veins naturally.
There are also hand and wrist stretches that can be done to increase the blood flow in your hands. This will also keep them on the thinner side.
Permanent Solutions to Hand Veins
However, the only true way to permanently remove the visible veins on hands is through surgery. This is done through a short 15-20 minute procedure called sclerotherapy.
Sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy is a relatively pain free process where a foam is injected into the visible veins of the hands which causes the veins to contract and “vanish” back into your skin for a more youthful look.
It usually takes 1-3 sessions depending on the person, and the only side effects are mild discoloration or bruising around the injection site for at most 24 hours after the procedure.
If the thinness or boneyness of your hands is part of the issue, some surgeons may also offer fillers for your hands in addition to sclerotherapy.
In general, sclerotherapy is the most common procedure for visible vein removal and is generally affordable in the ballpark range of $1000 for the initial treatment and $750 after that through a vein treatment center.
Laser Surgery
Similarly, laser surgery, known as endovenous ablation, can be used to collapse the affected veins with heat if your body may be too sensitive to sclerotherapy or potentially have an allergic reaction to the liquid injection.
Cosmetic Phlebectomy
A more drastic option is removing the affected veins entirely through a more, though only slightly more, invasive surgery known as cosmetic phlebectomy.
Through this procedure, tiny incisions are made through which the doctor cuts off the blood flow to the visible veins and removes them from the hand entirely.
After this, the body naturally redirects the flow of blood through the remaining veins in the hand. Unlike the other options, this requires the use of anesthesia which will increase recovery time.
As with all surgeries and medical procedures, always make sure to consult with your primary care physician about your options and any potential risks or concerns that may arise, especially treatments on veins that always carry the slight risk of clotting.
