The ultimate guide to Thread or Spider Veins, all you need to know.

Many people suffer from thread or spider veins, a smaller type of vein similar to varicose veins. Thread veins tend to appear around the legs; however, they can also develop around the face and under the eyes.

In this blog post, we will be going through everything about thread veins so you know what to expect about the treatments available for blue veins and the different types of thread veins.

What are thread veins?

Thread veins are also known as spider veins as they often look like spider webs. They appear as red or blue veins located on the surface of the skin, unlike varicose veins which tend to be bigger bulging veins. Thread veins usually appear around the legs on calves, thighs, and ankles and can also be present on the face, as facial veins or under-eye thread veins. Many people tend to seek thread vein treatment for aesthetic reasons; however, having thread veins on the legs can mean a higher risk of underlying vein issues.

What are the symptoms of thread veins?

Thread veins do not typically cause any pain or discomfort. The most common symptom is blue or red visible surface veins.

What are the causes of thread veins?

Thread or spider veins are veins whose valves have been damaged and are no longer able to return the blood to the lungs and heart. When the valves of the veins get damaged they can get enlarged and result in blood pooling, which can lead to the release of blood around the affected vein and cause staining. The main issue with thread veins is that the damaged veins can cause the veins around them to break down, further aggravating the issue.

When it comes to facial thread veins, these can be a result of a skin condition that affects the blood vessels known as Rosacea. Other reasons thread veins may appear around the face could be excessive sun exposure and frequent sneezing or coughing.

Related information: Treating Leg Veins

Can my lifestyle be a cause of thread or spider veins?

Some lifestyle factors can certainly contribute to the appearance of thread or spider veins. For instance, people whose occupation requires standing or sitting for long periods tend to have a higher risk of suffering from thread veins. This is due to the lack of correct blood pumping across the body when sitting, also known as poor blood circulation.

Other conditions, such as genetics play a huge role when it comes to developing thread or spider veins, as this condition can be inherited via your family history. Pregnancy or a high BMI can further be other contributors to the appearance of thread veins due to the increased blood volume and vein pressure.

Do high heels cause thread veins?

Whilst wearing high heels will not directly cause thread veins, they can contribute to this problem by affecting the blood flow in your veins. Walking causes blood to start pumping in your foot and calf. This blood then starts to move up the veins located in your legs. The valves within these veins help that blood to flow up towards your heart. When wearing supportive shoes, your foot and calf muscles work together but when you are wearing high heels, your heels never touch the ground meaning your calf muscles are not able to relax and all your body weight stays in your toes and the balls of your feet. This means that your calf muscles are now going to be less effective at pumping blood up towards the heart causing blood to sit in your leg veins for longer. This puts you at risk of developing leg veins.

Our Vascular Surgeons recommend that high heels should only be worn for short periods and they should not be higher than three inches. Of course, high heels will be fine as occasional wear but the use of compression stockings and doing regular calf exercises such as heel raises after you take your heels off.

What treatments are available to treat thread veins?

There are several treatments available to treat thread or spider veins depending on your condition. Your surgeon will be able to advise which one would be the most suitable.

• Sclerotherapy or Micro-Sclerotherapy – Consists of injection of liquid sclerotherapy, a chemical irritant that causes the wall of the affected vein to collapse, so the blood can then be re-diverted causing the vein to disappear. This treatment is minimally invasive and there is very little downtime associated with it. Sclerotherapy is only suitable for thread veins on the legs.
• Cutera CoolGlide – This is a laser treatment that uses intense light to coagulate the blood within the affected veins to then divert it to other veins located deeper below the skin surface.  This laser therapy treatment can remove the thread veins so they can be slowly absorbed by the body. The Cutera CoolGlide can be used all over the body including under eye veins.
• IPL or Intense Pulsed Light Therapy/Photorejuvenation is another alternative to treat thread veins on the skin which are formed due to skin conditions as Rosacea. The IPL treatment uses light diffusion to heat up the skin to remove and reduce the appearance of these types of veins. IPL is most effective on facial thread veins.
• Regenlite is a pulsed dye laser that can be very effective at treating mild thread veins on the legs and face. The blood vessels absorb the laser light energy, causing them to break down.

Why Choose The Private Clinic for Spider Veins Treatment?

• The Private Clinic Spider Vein Clinic has over 40 years of medical experience and is the UK’s leading authority in non-invasive and minimally invasive cosmetic procedures.
• We have carried out over 7,000 procedures in treating Veins
• We specialise in minimally invasive treatments using the latest and most innovative methods available
• Thread vein treatments are performed by expert doctors, nurses and laser practitioners.
• We are one of the very few clinics within the industry to treat veins under the eyes.
• We are a UK centre of excellence for the minimally invasive treatment of veins.
• We provide the highest standard of clinical care and offer the latest technologies available in the industry.

Useful Links

• View our thread vein before and after result photos
• View our under-eye thread vein before and after result photos
• Read our extensive thread vein FAQs
• Read our vast facial thread vein FAQs
• Please find out more information in our thread spider vein blogs
• Consultations for thread veins are available in London Harley Street, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Northampton

Varicose Vein treatment at The Private Clinic

We are also able to treat Varicose Veins at our varicose veins clinics across the UK.

• Varicose vein and thread vein clinic London Harley Street
• Varicose vein and thread vein clinic Birmingham
• Varicose vein and thread vein clinic Leeds
• Varicose vein and thread vein clinic Manchester
• Varicose vein and thread vein clinic Northampton

See our varicose vein treatment before and after photos, read our extensive varicose vein FAQs, view our varicose vein patient stories and find out more in our varicose veins blogs or download our varicose veins brochure.

Expert Vascular Surgeons

The Private Clinic works with highly qualified vascular surgeons across the UK including:

• Mr Constantinos Kyriakides, MD, FRCS (Gen), FRCS (Gen Surg). GMC Number: 3275436
• Mr Dynesh Rittoo, MBChB, FRCS (Eng), FRCS (Gen Surg). GMC Number: 3556456
• Mr Tahir Hussain, MBBS, FRCS (Gen, Surg.), MS Masters in Surgery. GMC Number: 3242669

To find out more about vein treatments or to book a consultation, call us on 0333 920 2471 or use our vein treatment online contact form.