What are Thread Veins? Can They Be Removed?

Thread veins are another name for a common vein condition, spider veins. This condition is not harmful and does not cause serious health issues. They appear as small red lines that look like damaged veins. They disperse in a web-like form as they spread over the affected area of the body. These can develop at the face, legs, arms, hands, and nearly anywhere on the body.

Thread veins info and treatment
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Most of the time, people seek treatment and removal procedures for cosmetic reasons, as thread veins can cause an unnatural and unpleasant look. They can be blue, green, purple, or red in color once they appear on the skin’s surface.

The veins dilate and bulge due to non-functioning vein valves, which cause blood accumulation and affect blood circulation.

What May be Causing Thread Veins (Spider Veins)?

Spider or thread veins occur when the valves inside them become dysfunctional or stop working entirely. This leads to blood collecting in the vein, which causes the veins to enlarge. These valves are responsible for preventing the blood from flowing in two directions simultaneously. However, with valves affected, the blood moves in both directions, preventing it from reaching the heart effectively.

Hence, the blood pools up, causes the veins to bulge and results in web-like or branching-fashion red veins forming on the surface of your skin. Often, thread veins are the result of tiny blood vessels bursting due to high pressure or damage.

Differentiating between Varicose and Spider Veins

For one, let’s clear how varicose veins differentiate from spider/thread veins. Veins are responsible for carrying blood back to the heart. Varicose and spider veins are the results of venous insufficiency. As a result, the vein and valves weaken, causing damage internally.

Despite that, they both appear different in severity, slightly in appearance, and may even require different removal or treatment procedures (invasive and non-invasive). Thread veins are smaller and appear similar to spider webs on the skin. On the other hand, varicose veins are larger, deeper, and lumpy than spider/thread veins. Moreover, varicose veins are twisted and may appear flesh-colored.

Here are some of the symptoms of varicose veins that include:

  • Itching
  • Bleeding
  • Swelling
  • Pain
  • Achiness

These symptoms become the common causes of occasional discomfort and lead to insufficient blood supply towards the heart.

Treatment and Removal Options

Endovenous Laser Therapy (EVLT)

EVLT is a relatively newer treatment procedure for varicose and thread/spider veins. It involves making a small incision near the thread/veins to insert a laser fiber. The laser in the fiber heats the vein directly to make it collapse. With increasing heat, the vein collapses, and the walls shut off.

It leads to the closure of the vein, which results in the complete disappearance of the vein from the skin within a few months.

Laser Treatments

Laser treatments don’t involve any major incisions. In fact, with laser light technology, your doctor might target the thread veins directly from the skin surface. The laser penetrates the skin without causing any harm and focuses on the thread veins.

The energy heats the vein and dries up the spider veins inside the affected area. As the veins clot, their walls collapse, and they start to disappear. It is a non-invasive procedure, unlike sclerotherapy.

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Sclerotherapy

Sclerotherapy involves directly injecting a saline chemical into the bulging vein. The solution might foam or cause a reaction that irritates the wall of spider/thread veins. This hinders the blood flow and makes the vein collapse.

Eventually, the vein dries up and clots, which results in the reduction of any swelling due to the lumpy thread veins that might occur due to chronic reasons. Furthermore, the veins may start to shrink substantially and disappear once they start to fade. You may require multiple procedures before the results become visible. Hence, it can take up to a few months.

This procedure can take place in the professional’s office and doesn’t require anesthesia or a numbing agent. While this method is most suitable for larger varicose veins, smaller thread veins are also treatable with this method despite requiring multiple procedures.

Surgery

Surgeries are straightforward as they involve the use of general and local anesthesia. Once your doctor sedates you, they will perform a major incision and use a fine instrument to strip the damaged vein out of your body. However, this method is not really suitable for thread veins as they are relatively smaller than lumpy varicose veins and might require multiple major incisions for effective removal.

Thread Veins Removal: Conclusion

Do you require thread vein removal treatments and procedures by the best and experienced cosmetic vein removal doctor? Visit The Vein Treatment Center © for your vein removal needs.

We perform a series of vein treatments and removal procedures while ensuring safe practices and providing the best results to our patients.

Call today to schedule a free consultation

The Vein Treatment Center ©
Luis Navarro MD FACS
327 East 65th Street

New York, NY 10065
212-249-6117

Established in 1982

 


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