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HomeVaricose VeinsAre the Veins on Your Breasts Just Varicose Veins, or a Sign of Cancer?

Are the Veins on Your Breasts Just Varicose Veins, or a Sign of Cancer?

Blog Author July 6, 2020
Worried about the blue spider-web like veins that have appeared on your breasts over time? Do they concern you each time you catch a glimpse of them? Could they be signs of cancer? No, not necessarily. Varicose veins mainly appear when the valves in the veins are weakened. Increased pressure in the veins over a long term, trauma or age are the usual culprits for varicose veins. There are quite a few reasons for the appearance of breast veins, not limited to cancer. These can be things like pregnancy, weight gain, and Mondor’s disease, for example.

How Pregnancy Causes Varicose and Blue Veins in Breasts

During pregnancy and afterward, the breasts typically enlarge as hormonal changes in the body occur. These changes are for the body to acclimate to eventual breastfeeding as well as the body increases its blood volume capacity to bring more oxygen and nutrients to the developing fetus. More veins and glands will appear on the breasts during your pregnancy pregnancy, and it is also very common for purplish atrophic marks to appear as connective tissue stretches towards the later stages. The breasts can also be engorged during breastfeeding. One such common sign of swelling, or edema, are breast veins that become visible.  

How Weight Gain Causes Varicose and Blue Veins in Breasts

Weight gain is another factor that could cause varicose veins. Similar to pregnancy and sometimes attributed to it, the increase in body weight causes more resistance in the veins of the body and a need for more blood to be distributed. Therefore, having a healthy body weight is also important to reducing the chance of blue breast veins.

Though it Could Be A Sign of Cancer, It’s Probably Not

All that being said, not all varicose veins are caused by cancer. In fact, according to this article, newly appearing blood vessels or veins are usually not a sign of cancer, though they can be a rare symptom of it. Patients are advised to seek out emergency care if they have immediate concerns about their breast veins’ condition, as emergency doctors run a broad sampling of tests to rule out a variety of conditions as opposed to specialist doctors. But, specialist doctors typically run a smaller number of specialized tests to test breast cancer and abnormalities in breasts—and this comes at a lower cost than visits to the emergency room.

If You’re Worried, You Can Visit the Kimmel Institute

If you are worried, we recommend that you visit our vein physicians in Florida at the at the Kimmel Institute. It’s better to be safe, and here at the Institute, we can address your concerns with our board-certified vascular surgeon, Dr Kimmel, who is a vein specialist that has devoted his life to vascular and cardiothoracic surgery. We also have resources on preventing blue veins in breasts. Here at the Kimmel Institute, we encourage you to prioritize your vascular health and general wellbeing. Schedule a visit to us at Boca Raton, near Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in South Florida if you are feeling discomfort or have questions. We are here for you.