Thread veins, called spider or broken veins, are tiny red veins visible just below the skin surface. They tend to branch out and have a spidery sort of pattern, hence their common name. However, they can also appear as straight veins. The medical term for thread veins is telangiectasia.
Thread veins can occur anywhere on the body but are most often found on the legs and face.
Thread veins are a common problem, affecting around 80% of all adults at some point in their lives.
Simply Clinics offers an effective and simple procedure to treat thread veins.
What causes broken veins?
Thread veins appear when the one-way valves inside our veins become weak, allowing the blood to flow backward. Your vein can’t cope with increased blood flow in the wrong direction. The extra pressure on the vein wall causes the vein to become stretched and begin to bulge. Eventually, this pressure will cause a thread vein to appear.
What are the risk factors for thread veins?
Thread veins are so common because there are so many risk factors! Often they are caused by the ageing process as the vein walls and valves weaken.
Fluctuating hormone levels during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause can also cause changes to vein walls resulting in thread veins. Some research suggests that oestrogen treatment makes thread veins more likely.
Exposure to sunlight and extremes of temperature, even hot baths, can cause the small blood vessels to dilate and cause broken veins.
Other risk factors include topical steroid use and sitting or standing for long periods.
There is a strong genetic predisposition associated with thread veins. Put simply, if blood relatives have them, you are at high risk of having them too.
Can I reduce the risk of spider veins recurring after treatment?
Keeping to a healthy weight and avoiding risk factors that you can control could help to keep thread veins and other underlying vein problems at bay. An active, healthy life with plenty of exercise to improve circulation is also recommended.
Do I need to be worried about my thread veins?
Usually, thread veins are a cosmetic issue that can be diagnosed by a visual examination. However, some patients presenting with clusters of thread veins in the legs may need a duplex ultrasound. In rare cases, thread veins and varicose veins may be symptoms of an underlying venous condition.
Are varicose veins the same as thread veins?
Varicose veins are enlarged veins in the legs much larger than thread veins. They are often blue in appearance and may ache or itch. Varicose veins are also very common, and many people with thread veins have them.
Varicose veins may be a sign of underlying venous disease and should be checked by a doctor. There are different treatment options for varicose veins. These include wearing compression stockings to encourage healthy blood flow in the leg veins.
How can my thread veins be treated?
We use Thermavein thread vein treatment. We prefer it to the other popular treatments, which use laser light, as Thermavein does not risk burning the surrounding skin.
Thermavein is minimally invasive, fast and highly effective at removing thread veins permanently. It works by using a sterile, fine needle to deliver a controlled electrical current on the surface of the skin over the vein. This cause a process called thermocoagulation, which seals and destroys each vein’s tiny, thin walls. Your thread veins will disappear almost instantly.
At Simply Clinics, we offer Thermavein treatments from £200. Contact us to find out more or to book your Thread Vein removal treatment today!
Call us on 02045863044 or email info@simplyclinics.co.uk.
To see all the latest before and afters of our fantastic treatments, be sure to follow us on Instagram @simplyclinics & @doctorsofsimplyclinics!
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