When we get sunny weather, that’s the time most of us want to wear shorts, skirts and bathing suits. But for those with spider or thread veins, they feel that wearing skimpy, more revealing clothes isn’t an option. Women of every age can get unattractive facial and leg veins, they are all too common and can cause a great deal of embarrassment for many. Until recent years, the only option was to cover the face with makeup concealer and the legs with trousers or tights.
Thread veins tend to develop as we age, when our skin and blood vessels become less elastic, but they can also be associated with pregnancy and menopause, family predisposition, sunbathing or exposure to wind or extreme temperatures.
Thread vein facts:
- Most people with moderate varicose or spider veins, regularly have issues with the legs feeling itchy, heavy, restless, tired or cramped but don’t suffer from constant pain.
- Although heredity is a big contributor to unwanted vein development, there are other factors such as; pregnancy, excessive weight gain or prolonged standing or sitting for large amounts of time, which all contribute heavily to vein formation.
- Thread vein treatments are minimally invasive and any discomfort is manageable, both during and after the procedure.
- Stripping out the veins isn’t the only option for vein removal, there are a few minimally invasive treatments options that can easily be performed, without having to spend time in hospital. Treatments such as; sclerotherapy, phlebectomy, radio frequency ablation and laser vein removal all have short recovery periods and give excellent results.
- Once veins develop it’s very rare that they’ll go away without any treatment.
- Veins that have been either destroyed or completely removed, won’t return after they’ve been treated.
Spider veins are very common, they appear on the skin in a reddish, purple and blue zigzag pattern. Thread veins are often a sign of getting older, and as the body ages, the valves in your veins weaken, and blood can collect, causing your veins to enlarge and become more visible. These veins can appear all over the body, but they are most commonly seen on the legs, face, ankles, feet and thighs. Spider veins are like varicose veins but smaller and they’re also nearer to the surface of the skin than varicose veins.
Poor blood flow and circulation causes spider veins, so you can help prevent spider veins by:
- Try to avoid crossing your legs for long periods when sitting, as this can cause weakening of the vein walls.
- Avoiding sitting or standing for long periods as this might aggravate the condition.
- Limit the time you wear high-heeled shoes, as heels put extra pressure on your legs, which restricts the blood flow from the heart to the legs.
- Support tights help to stimulate your blood vessels and improve your circulation.
- It’s important to use sun cream to protect the skin on your face, but it can also help prevent spider veins from appearing on your legs, calves and ankles.
The safest, most effective cosmetic medical treatments for leg and facial veins is laser treatment. A laser gets lightly applied to the skin directly above the spider veins, making the vein disappear. The energy from the laser gets absorbed by coloured tissues, such as spider veins, breaking them down. The closed and sealed vein is then dissolved and absorbed by the body. After treatment, the body slowly re-absorbs the veins.
Why put up with unsightly thread veins when there is such a simple solution to permanently banish those tell-tale signs of ageing.