That night, I couldn’t stop looking at my hands. The blue-green lines winding beneath my skin. The way they stood out against my pale winter complexion. Had they always been that prominent? Was I dehydrated? Was something wrong?
I spent the next week surreptitiously studying other people’s hands. The barista. My mother. The guy in the elevator. Some had veins like mine. Some didn’t. I found no pattern, no answer, just a growing awareness that I had no idea what was normal and what wasn’t.
Finally, I asked my doctor. She laughed (kindly) and said, “You have fair skin and low body fat. Your veins are supposed to be visible. That’s not a problem—that’s anatomy.”
We’ve all noticed them: the blue or green lines tracing their way across our wrists, hands, legs, or even temples. For some, visible veins are a subtle detail; for others, they are prominent and raised, impossible to ignore.
