Bleeding into the skin happens when small blood vessels burst just below your skin's surface. These broken blood vessels may look like small red dots. Or they may be larger purple, blue or black patches.
Any kind of bleeding — whether inside or outside the body — is a sign of vascular trauma. If you've crushed a vein or artery, you may feel pain or pressure, and see or feel a lump or bruise.
A blown vein is a vein that's mildly injured during a blood draw or IV placement. Symptoms include bruising, swelling and discomfort around your vein. While a blown vein isn't serious, it needs about 10 to 12 days to heal before your provider can use it again.
If you've simply bruised a varicose vein, don't panic. While bumping a varicose vein can lead to some severe looking bruises — even if you don't even notice when the bump occurs — it usually is no cause for concern. Apply ice and elevate the injury and avoid disturbing it further.
Complications from Blown Out Vein
Most of the time, a collapsed vein will heal over time as well. But in some cases, they do not recover, which can cause problems with circulation. However, this is not common. In most instances, a blown vein heals without severe consequences.
Any time a blood vessel gets damaged, the nearby blood can thicken and organize into a sticky clump, or clot. Some clots only affect veins near your skin's surface. This condition, called superficial thrombophlebitis, typically doesn't lead to serious problems.
The blood going out to your body in the arteries is full of oxygen, which makes the blood bright red. But the blood coming back from your body in the veins is darker because your body parts have used up the oxygen in the blood. That's why veins look purple or blue.
Blown Vein: Signs and Symptoms
This causes blood to leak from the puncture into the surrounding tissues. Symptoms of a blown vein include discolored skin around the injection site, bruising, swelling, localized pain, and a stinging sensation.
Superficial thrombophlebitis is an inflammation of a vein just below the surface of the skin, which results from a blood clot. This condition may occur after recently using an IV line, or after trauma to the vein. Some symptoms can include pain and tenderness along the vein and hardening and feeling cord-like.
Redness on your skin
While it's true that a bruise is a type of blood clot, it's not the kind you have to worry about. You can't see a DVT. You might see some bruise-like discoloration, but you're more likely to see red. A DVT causes redness in the affected limb and makes your arm or leg feel warm to the touch.
Varicose veins are dark purple or blue in colour and are usually twisted and bulging in appearance. Some people with varicose veins may experience pain or discomfort. As well as their distinctive appearance, symptoms of varicose veins can include: aching, heavy and uncomfortable legs.
The bruise itself won't cause a blood clot. In very rare circumstances, the hit that caused the bruise can. If a deep-seated vein is damaged during the collision, it could lead to a deep-vein clot. This is called deep-vein thrombosis (DVT).
You may feel a sharp pain when the vein pops, and the area may continue to hurt for some time afterwards. Swelling: Swelling is another common sign of a popped vein. The area around the vein may become swollen and tender to the touch. Bruising: Bruising is another common sign of a popped vein.
throbbing or cramping pain, swelling, redness and warmth in a leg or arm. sudden breathlessness, sharp chest pain (may be worse when you breathe in) and a cough or coughing up blood.
A blown vein is a vein that ruptures as a result of a needle injury. While the term “blown vein” may sound serious, in most cases, there is no long-term damage. Medical professionals insert needles into veins to perform various medical procedures, including blood tests and intravenous (IV) line insertion.
Bulging veins are visible and enlarged veins that are close to the surface of your skin. They seem to pop out from your skin and can be very noticeable. These veins might appear twisted or rope-like, and their color may be blue or purple. If you touch them with your finger, you can easily feel their shape.
What are the symptoms of collapsed veins? Loss of circulation, cold hands and feet, sharp, stabbing pain, discoloration (the injection site turns blue or black), as well as itching which usually begins once the vein starts to heal.
Are there bluish-purple or red lines popping out on your legs? Those could be varicose veins. Varicose veins are swollen, twisted veins that lie just underneath the skin's surface.
Veins become dark and visible when there's a problem with their function. If problems arise with the vein valves, the blood itself or the surrounding muscles, blood may pool inside the veins instead of being transported back to the heart.
Symptoms of deep vein thrombosis
When they are present, the most common symptoms are: Swelling or change in color (to purple or blue) of one leg. Leg pain or tenderness in the calf muscle.
Increased size or density. Lump under the bruise. Pain that lasts longer than 2-3 days. Persistent bruising for more than 2 weeks.
When a blood vessel is damaged due to broken bones, blunt force trauma, severe bruises or significant muscle injuries, the blood around the vessel can become sticky and form a clot. These clots do not necessarily show up immediately, but may occur several days or weeks later.
Blood clots may look red and swollen, or like a reddish or bluish skin discoloration. Other blood clots may not be visible in the skin. Blood clotting (coagulation) is a bodily process that prevents excessive bleeding when a blood vessel is injured. Platelets and proteins in the plasma form a clot over an injury.
Phlebitis is inflammation of a vein near the surface of the skin. It's not usually serious and often gets better on its own after 1 or 2 weeks.