Have you ever look at your veins and wonder why sometimes they look green or blue? You must be thinking that since veins carry blood throughout the body, they must be red right?
Veins are blood vessels. There are other types of blood vessels such as arteries and capillaries. Blood vessels assist in moving nutrients and blood throughout the body.
The majority of veins’ function is to return your heart with oxygen-depleted blood from your body’s tissues. Your pulmonary artery carries blood to the lungs, which are supplied with new oxygen.
The oxygenated blood is delivered to your tissues and organs through your arteries.
Why do veins appear green?
First of all, what you must know is that there are 3 types of veins: deep veins, pulmonary veins, and superficial veins. Superficial veins are the one that we commonly see.
The reason why we sometimes see them as green or blue is because of wavelength, or visible light that you can see. Wavelengths are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Different colours have different wavelengths.
The colours of visible light range from the lowest energy (red) to the highest energy (violet). Red has the longest wavelength, lowest frequency and the lowest energy.
This is why we may see a distinct vein colour through the skin. The superficial veins that are visible may seem green rather than red because of the shorter wavelength of green.
They may appear bluish-green in addition to being blue because blue has a shorter wavelength than red.
Because you see veins through layers of skin and tissue that absorb more red frequencies while letting higher frequency waves reach your vision, the appearance of “green” or “blue” veins develops.
Where can you find superficial veins?
Superficial veins are the most visible veins in your body. You can find them at:
- hands
- thighs
- abdomen
- chest
- forehead
- neck
You don’t have to worry if you see your veins green as it is normal. However, if they come with pain, swelling, cramping, tingling and itching, then you may need to see a doctor.
Source: Healthline