Thread veins, sometimes called spider veins or broken veins, are those small red, purple or blue lines you see just under the surface of the skin, most often on the face or legs. They’re entirely harmless from a medical standpoint, but I see a huge number of patients each year who tell me they’ve started avoiding certain make-up, certain lighting, even certain photographs because of them. That’s reason enough to treat them, in my view. You don’t need a medical justification to want clearer skin.
Thread veins are, in technical terms, telangiectasia: tiny dilated blood vessels sitting in the dermis that have become permanently visible. They can appear as fine single threads or as a cluster resembling a spider’s web, and the colour depends on the depth and size of the vessel involved. They become more common with age, but I regularly treat patients in their twenties and thirties too, particularly those with fair skin or a family history.
If your main concern is thread veins on the face alongside general redness or flushing, it’s worth reading our page on Rosacea and flushing, as the two often go hand in hand and the treatment approach overlaps.
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Genetics plays a bigger role than most patients expect. If a parent has visible thread veins, there’s a good chance you will too, and I’d say this is the single most common factor I see in clinic. But genetics isn’t the whole story.
Other contributing factors include:
In essence, thread veins develop when the tiny blood vessels beneath the skin dilate and eventually rupture into these small branching networks. Once they’ve formed, they don’t tend to resolve on their own, which is why so many patients come to see me rather than wait it out.
Our consultations are in-depth and tailored to you, creating a bespoke treatment plan catering to all of your concerns.
ConsultationEvery patient’s veins are different, and so is every patient’s skin. Before recommending anything, we’ll take a proper look at the pattern, size and depth of your thread veins and talk through what’s realistic for you. I’d rather under-promise and over-deliver than the other way round.
Excel® V+ for Rosacea & Thread Veins
Our Cutera Excel V+ laser is my first choice for most facial thread veins. It works by targeting the haemoglobin in the blood vessel with a specific wavelength of light. The vessel wall heats up, the blood inside coagulates, and the vessel collapses. Your body then reabsorbs it naturally over the following weeks. Most patients need more than one session, and I’ll be upfront about that at your consultation rather than promising a single-visit fix.
Hyfrecator
For certain veins, particularly finer or more isolated ones, cautery with a hyfrecator is a better tool for the job. A fine electrical current heats and seals the vessel directly. It’s quick, precise, and I find it particularly useful for small facial veins around the nose that lasers sometimes struggle to fully clear.
Which approach we use, and often it’s a combination of both, depends entirely on what I see when I examine your skin.
For thread veins specifically affecting the face alongside redness or flushing, do have a look at our rosacea and flushing page as well.
Helping you achieve outstanding, natural-looking results.
ZO® Skin Health provides a comprehensive approach to creating and maintaining healthy skin for anyone, regardless of age, ethnicity, unique skin condition, or skin type. From correcting sun damage + pigmentation to preventing new damage + protecting against future damage, ZO® has your skin health covered.
