Sclerotherapy For Ordinary Bulging Veins On Arms and Hands? (photo)

Question

Can I have sclerotherapy done for the non-varicose/spider veins on my arms and hands? I only want the majority of them gone so I can still have blood tests. Also, being a guitarist will this affect my playing i.e. stiffness in hands or pins & needles? And another question, sometimes when my veins enlarge my skin becomes red around them, especially in fluorescent light, will removing these veins prevent this redness? Thanks.

Sam Naficy, MD, FACS · Answer

I would discourage you from treating your arm and hand veins with sclerotherapy as these are functional veins.

John Landi, MD · Answer

Your picture shows large forearm veins. These can be treated as a strictly cosmetic procedure and I have treated forearm veins several times in the past. I recently had a 40 year old women model with similar veins. She had an excellent result from treatment. I treat these veins with endovenous laser just as is done on leg veins. This is a simple procedure done under local tumescent anesthesia. I do not use sclerotherapy for these veins and they need to be large enough to accommodate the laser filament. There is no downtime and normal activities resume the following day. I do not think that treating these veins will affect the color of your skin and I want to stress that this is simply a cosmetic treatment. I realize that there is controversy among physicians in treating these veins, but not every single vein is treated and there are always other arm veins which can be used in the future if necessary.

Benjamin Barankin, MD, FRCPC · Answer

I would strongly discourage you from trying to treat the veins on your arms and hands as these are functional veins that are required to move blood to and from the heart. These are not the same as spider veins or varicose veins which are non-functioning and a cosmetic nuisance, typically on the legs.

Hratch Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

It is completely unnecessary to treat these varicose veins in the froearms or hands. They are normal and they are more pronounced in those that have low body fat and who are muscular. They do not need treatment and DO NOT cause numbness or tingling in the hands or fingers. You may have thoracic outlet syndrome, ulnar nerve compression or carpal tunnel syndrome from the posture that you use to play your guitar. Vein problems do not cause these types of symptoms.

	It is said by plastic surgeons that in those who have had a lot of cosmetic surgery, the veins in the hands gives up their age .... that is, elderly people who have had cosmetic facial surgery can't hide their age if their hands are not treated because there is fat loss with aging and the veins are very prominent over bones (metacarpal bones). This is not the case with your hands.

	Leave these veins alone and do not have them removed. They are not likely to give you any health problems.

Sclerotherapy For Ordinary Bulging Veins On Arms and Hands? (photo)

Answers (4)