How do I know if I have varicose veins or thread veins?

Dr Alex Vesey is our expert consultant vascular surgeon who heads up our varicose vein team at McKeown Medical. Here, he discusses how to tell whether you have varicose veins or thread veins.

Published by Dr Alex Vesey

Date posted — 20.08.24

Varicose veins and thread veins – which are sometimes also known as spider veins – are both types of vein conditions, but they have distinct appearances and symptoms.

Varicose veins are larger, swollen, and twisted veins that often bulge above the skin’s surface. They can cause discomfort, pain, itching, or a heavy feeling in the legs, and are typically found on the legs or feet.

Thread veins, on the other hand, are smaller, thin, and web-like veins that appear in the skin itself. They are usually red, blue, or purple and are painless. Thread veins can occur on the legs, face, or other areas of the body.

We offer a range of treatment options for varicose veins including VenaSeal™ – the most up to date method of treating varicose veins that causes less pain and allows you to get back to normal almost immediately, without the hassle of wearing bandages or compression stockings.

Get in touch with our friendly team and we’ll help you find the right varicose vein treatment for you.

Dr Alex Vesey

Our vascular surgery service is led by Dr Alex Vesey. Alex is a highly skilled vascular surgeon with extensive experience in diagnosing and treating a wide range of vascular conditions. With a focus on minimally invasive techniques, Dr. Vesey is dedicated to providing patients with the most advanced and effective treatments for venous diseases, with a particular interest in the treatment of varicose veins.

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Varicose veins are enlarged, twisted veins that often appear just under the skin, primarily in the legs and feet.

Another life changing result for one of our patients. 

This patient's main concern was the static lines etched into her skin around her mouth, so we opted for full field resurfacing. 

She is just a month out from treatment and still has a little background redness but already very happy with where things are heading. What do you think?
This is another one of our resurfacing patients a year down the line, when the skin is fully healed and the results have had a chance to mature. 

No other type of laser or resurfacing can do this - other than full ablation. The patient is loving life with her new smooth skin! 

If you are interested in this treatment, send a pic by PM and we will get back to you.
Laser season continues with a vengeance! This is one of our patients just a couple of weeks after full field resurfacing. 

She is already delighted with the improvement she has achieved, which continues to improve up until 6 months. What do you think?
Today our vascular surgeon - the very lovely Dr Alex - had his first varicose veins clinic in our new premises. 

Both he and the patients have had a great time and we have now booked up our first VenaSeal™  list of 2025! 

It's exciting times ahead for the whole team as we grow into our new home and bring new services on board!

Check the link in our bio for more about VenaSeal™.
So this is where the magic happens on Bath Street! 

This is my own treatment room, just off my fancy new office. I have to say, it's an absolute dream to work here. I've already treated over 100 patients on this chair so far this week. 

Who's up next week?

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