Question

You can see some blood vessels on the outside of the hands specially in older people. Are those veins or arteries? How can you confirm your answer?

Answer 1

In older persons the skin becomes loose as the fat below becomes less with age and the vessels passing through these areas especially on the outside of the hands become prominent. These are veins as they flow superficially. The veins are thin and less muscular. These carry the blood to the heart veins are placed superficially so they are easily visible to the eye and are prominent.

The blood in the veins will be carrying CO₂ and will have many substances like sugar, amino acids, chemicals and bacteria.