Thread veins – also known as spider veins – are fine veins that can be seen through the skin. These veins tend to occur on the legs, face, cheek or nose. The smallest ones tend to be red in colour and the larger ones more purple in appearance.

These small veins are present in everyone but are not normally visible until they expand and show through the skin. There are various reasons why they become more visible – one of these can be too much sun over the years, another is pregnancy.

They may also be an inherited problem, becoming more obvious in later life as the skin has become thinner and some of the under skin layers are absorbed with the veins becoming more obviously exposed. Weight gain can also be a factor in the condition.

Although unsightly they are essentially harmless and the majority of these veins can be successfully treated and here at the British Varicose Vein Centre we concentrate on these conditions with the help of infra-red machines that can pinpoint the problem areas.

In some patients thread veins may be related to varicose veins. Prior to treating thread veins, it is vitally important to exclude any underlying cause by performing an ultrasound investigation. It is not advisable to treat thread veins without the ultrasound scan as the results could prove unsatisfactory.

Failure to do this test may result in a rapid recurrence whenever underlying varicose veins are present. Treatment may be with microsclerotherapy (injection treatment) or Veinwave.