The veins you are describing are called reticular veins, because they are run in the reticular dermis which is close to the surface of the skin. The veins are normal part of the skin but the can be very visible or prominent in people with fair skin or thin and or muscular individuals. People come in with request for treatment of these veins frequently. Often just reassurance that they are normal is all that is necessary. However, for some people who are very bothered by their appearance, I will treat with sclerotherapy which is an effective treatment for them. Sclerotherapy of these veins can take 2- 3 treatments and does has some risks. The risks of sclerotherapy are temporary bruising, [common] hyperpigmentation, [Brownish color where the vein\s were, usually goes away but can persist in ~ 1% ] and even in rare case ulceration. After all this is explained most people will chose not to have the sclerotherapy. I hope this information is helpful.