Thread veins are a fact of life for many people, but, as with so many things, opinion is divided over whether to see them as a sign of ageing to be embraced, or something that can and should be treated to help maintain your personal appearance.
If one takes the former view, then the same may be said of greying hair, wrinkles, or areas of persistent, lumpy fat. While some might be fine with embracing such things, others might be anything but. Should you be in the second category, you will no doubt be keen to know what thread veins are and what can be done about them.
The first thing to note is that thread veins are not the same as varicose veins, which lie deeper. Varicose veins are lumpy, swollen veins that can appear dark blue or purple, but despite their appearance are usually nothing to be alarmed about. However, for some these can cause skin irritation, pain and muscle cramps in your legs, in which case you should see a GP.
However, thread veins are less serious than that. Also known as spider veins or broken veins, they actually consist of small blood vessels in the outer layer of skin that have become dilated. Speaking to Good Housekeeping in 2017, vascular surgeon Professor Mark Whiteley explained that these veins should be checked out in the case of most women as they can indicate deeper varicose veins.
He also noted that, contrary to popular belief, they are not exclusively a feature of ageing, as younger women can get them too.
Thread vein removal may, therefore, not solve any underlying issues. But if they are benign and not a symptom of a deeper issue, as is usually the case, that does not mean you should just leave them in place. In particular, while they can appear on the legs and arms it is their presence on the face that will often cause concern for aesthetic reasons.
Two major methods of thread vein removal exist. One is known as microscleropathy, which involves a series of very small injections into the veins to seal them off, which leads to your blood being re-routed out of these veins, which are in effect blind alleys, into healthier veins. Once the blood drains out, they disappear like a dried-up stream bed being reabsorbed into the surrounding landscape.
A second method is through laser removal. This sends pulses of light into the veins and effectively burns them, with the damaged veins being gradually absorbed by your body and leaving no trace behind. The process takes a few weeks with several appointments.
If you want to have thread veins removed, the best time to do so is now, ahead of summer. That is partly because sunny weather can make them worse, especially if they are related to another skin condition, such as rosacea.
In addition, now is a good time to have them treated if you want to look your best for the summer, either showing off your legs or looking good for photographs in any wedding you are going to.