4 Possible Reasons You Have a New Bulging Vein on Your Forehead

A bulging vein can look red, blue or purplish and swell out of your forehead. Bulging forehead veins are usually nothing to worry about, but you might wonder what causes them or why one pops up suddenly.

There are several causes of bulging veins in your forehead.

Escalating blood pressure during exercise can cause veins under the skin to rise closer to the skin's surface. Locations of the body where less fat exists under the skin such as the forehead tend to expose bulging veins more readily, according to the Cleveland Clinic, including sudden bulging veins in your temple.

Increased pressure in veins can weaken their walls, leading to damage that allows more blood to pool there. That, in turn, can result in bulging veins or darker-colored veins than you're used to, called varicose veins, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, but this is more common in the legs than the forehead.

Hormonal changes during pregnancy can cause new veins on your forehead, face or neck, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). These are typically spider veins; rather than bulging or popping out, they're more likely to appear small and red. These new veins typically fade after your baby is born, per the ACOG.

A bulging vein may appear in the forehead as a result of a traumatic injury, according to the Mayo Clinic, which can cause an arteriovenous fistula, or an atypical connection between the artery and the vein.

Sometimes these atypical connections can form on their own, called arteriovenous malformations, according to the Mayo Clinic. These can be dangerous, leading to stroke or brain damage if they rupture. Talk to your doctor if you have a new bulging vein on your forehead and a headache, dizziness, vision changes, seizures or any changes in your thinking.

It's usually not bad if a vein pops up on your forehead. Bulging forehead veins due to exercise will typically go away on their own after you cool down from your workout. Many forehead veins are benign and don't require any treatment.

But if you're concerned about the appearance of the veins or find bulging veins unattractive, you can talk to a dermatologist about treatment options. Procedures like the following may help reduce the appearance of veins on your forehead, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine:

• ‌Sclerotherapy‌, injections of a saline solution that help veins fade over time
• ‌Laser treatments‌, which can either seal veins or destroy them completely
• ‌Electrodesiccation‌, electrical currents used to seal a vein
  

Always talk to a doctor if your bulging vein doesn't go away and if you experience any other symptoms, like a headache, alongside it.