Here's a breakdown of the different types of veins you can find in the human body!

Veins are an essential part of the circulatory system, as they work with the heart, arteries, and capillaries to keep the blood moving throughout the body. The majority of blood in your body, about 75%, is in the veins. Veins mainly carry oxygen-poor blood and carry it to the heart. They also carry oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the heart, which is the only time they carry oxygen-rich blood. Let's take a deeper look at the types of veins in the body.

Deep Veins

The deep veins are present in the muscles and along the bones. These veins move the oxygen-poor blood back to the heart. Deep veins in the legs contain around 90% of the blood that travels back to the heart and have one-way valves that ensure blood moves in the right direction.

Superficial Veins

Superficial veins are typically smaller than deep veins and are not encompassed by muscle but lie visibly just under the skin. Since these veins are not surrounded by muscle, blood moves through them at a slower pace. Similar to deep veins, superficial veins contain valves. They also bring blood from the outer tissues to the deep veins through the perforating veins.

*Fun Fact: The largest vein in the body is a superficial vein, called the great saphenous vein, and it runs from the ankle to the thigh in each leg.*

Perforating Veins

Also known as connecting or perforator veins, perforating veins are short veins that deliver blood from the superficial to deep veins. They also contain valves, which close when the calf muscles compress to prevent blood from flowing backward from the deep veins to the superficial veins.

Valves

We've mentioned the presence of valves in each of these types of veins. Valves are particularly important in the legs, as they help the blood move up toward the heart. If these valves become damaged, the blood can travel back down to the legs, creating issues such as varicose veins.

Layers of the Veins

Beyond the different types of veins, each vein has three layers that make it up. These are the tunica adventitia, the tunica media, and the tunica intima. The tunica adventitia is the outer layer, which gives structure to the vein. The tunica media is the middle layer, which features smooth muscle cells that allow the vein to widen and narrow while the blood travels through it. Finally, the tunica intima is the inner layer, which contains a lining made up of smooth endothelial cells that help the blood move more easily through the veins.

This is a pretty simple overview, but there is so much to learn when it comes to the body and how it functions. Hopefully, you now have a more basic understanding of the types of veins that work inside our bodies. It's pretty cool, right?

If you have been experiencing any issues with your vein health, check out American Vein & Vascular Institute. This network of the vein and arterial diagnosis and treatment center network provides an excellent patient experience. As they say, "Vein care is self-care."