What does 'vascularity' actually mean?

[LeeJunFan]

I know that it means that you can see a lot of your veins and arteries through the skin, but what does it mean, is it healthy or not?
I have a friend who is skinny and I only noticed recently that he isn't vascular at all, now i just assumed that if you had a low BF% then you would be quite vascular?!?!?
Any help is appreciated!

I have posted this on the Training board aswell because I didn't really know whether it was down to your diet or training.

 

[Jabs]

If they have a low body fat and still don't have a lot of vains showing its possible to have thicker skin.

 

[LeeJunFan]

The reason I ask is beacuse within the last month I have been on CKD and the last week I have noticed veins going down my arm and into my hands that I have never seen before and I was just curious as to what I have done to achieve this, maybe the diet?

 

[Aston]

Increased vascularity is caused by a varied of factors including increased blood vessel proliferation which is factor of trained vs non-trained. In effect, your increased vascularity is casued in a part by the stimulus that is initiated by the training response where your body needs to adapt to the increasing need for and oxygen supply to the muscle. Another factor that causes increases in vasucularity is an increase in hematocrit or the amount of space in blood taken up by red blood cells. You can also think of it as the thickness of your blood.

 

[anthrax]

it depends really much on your skin

BTW, glycerol helps vascularity