McKeown Medical
167 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4SQ
What is the difference between varicose veins and thread veins?
Dr Alex Vesey is our expert consultant vascular surgeon who heads up our varicose vein team at McKeown Medical. Here, he discusses the difference between varicose veins and thread veins.
Published by Dr Alex Vesey
Date posted — 19.08.24
Varicose veins and thread veins, or spider veins, differ in appearance, size, and symptoms.
Varicose veins are large, swollen, and twisted veins that bulge above the skin’s surface, often appearing blue or dark purple. They usually develop in the legs and can cause discomfort, pain, and a heavy feeling.
Thread veins are much smaller, thin, and web-like, appearing just beneath the skin. They are red, blue, or purple and typically painless.
While varicose veins can lead to more serious health issues, thread veins are primarily a cosmetic concern. Both conditions result from poor circulation, but varicose veins are generally more severe.
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.
Related Articles
Varicose veins
Exploring different treatments to get rid of varicose veins
Varicose veins are enlarged, twisted veins that often appear just under the skin, primarily in the legs and feet.
Varicose veins
Everything you need to know about VenaSeal™ vein treatment
When it comes to treating varicose veins, VenaSeal™ has emerged as a revolutionary option that offers a minimally invasive and...
Varicose veins
Your guide to radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatment of varicose veins
If you're struggling with the discomfort, swelling, or unsightly appearance of varicose veins, Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) could be the solution...
1 / 3
2 / 3
3 / 3
Varicose veins
Exploring different treatments to get rid of varicose veins
Varicose veins are enlarged, twisted veins that often appear just under the skin, primarily in the legs and feet.
Varicose veins
Everything you need to know about VenaSeal™ vein treatment
When it comes to treating varicose veins, VenaSeal™ has emerged as a revolutionary option that offers a minimally invasive and...
Varicose veins
Your guide to radiofrequency ablation (RFA) treatment of varicose veins
If you're struggling with the discomfort, swelling, or unsightly appearance of varicose veins, Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) could be the solution...
Following on from our post last night, here’s another patient who wanted to improve her neck and jawline but didn`t want surgery so opted for our non-surgical neck lift.
We started with CoolSculpting to reduce submental fat, then followed up with our revolutionary non-surgical neck lift — a custom combination of skin tightening treatments using Halo, ProFractional, and Morpheus8.
She`s absolutely over the moon with her results - what do you think?
Find out more about the non-surgical neck lift at the link in our bio.
Introducing the non-surgical neck lift! The neck is one of the most challenging areas to treat and, while the gold-standard for addressing issues in the neck is surgery, we know that not all patients want to take a surgical option.
Over the years we’ve invested in devices that promise improvements in the neck, but the results haven’t lived up to expectations, so we decided to change our approach. What if, instead of relying on one device, we bring in a combination of technologies into a single treatment?
And it works! This is one of our lovely patients from our trial last year who has allowed us to share her results with you.
We begin with a Halo laser optimised for skin tightening, then the ProFractional laser with a deep penetration for more tightening and to improve texture and crepiness of the skin, and finally radio frequency microneedling with the Morpheus8 device to tackle any excess fat and reduce volume. For patients with a lot of fatty tissue, we also recommend a session of CoolSculpting to de-bulk the neck first.
This patient is absolutely over the moon with her results - what do you think?
Find out more at the link in our profile.
If you’ve been through the menopause and notice any vaginal bleeding, whether it’s light spotting or something heavier, it’s so important to get it checked as it can be an indication of a serious underlying problem.
In this video, our consultant gynaecologist Dr Iain (@driainmartin) explains what post-menopausal bleeding is, why it should always be investigated promptly, and how we can help.
This is one of the key concerns we’re addressing as part of our new women’s health services at McKeown Medical. We want you to feel heard, supported, and in safe hands.
It might be nothing to worry about, but it should never be ignored. If you, or someone you know, are experiencing post-menopausal bleeding we’re here to help.
Find out more at the link in our bio.
We are well and truly into filler season now with all of our patients planning ahead for weddings and summer holidays.
This is one of our patients who wanted to treat her jowls and facial sagging, but didn’t want surgery so we opted for our signature non-surgical volumetric facelift using filler injections only. This is her a couple of weeks later looking, and feeling, fabulous.
What do you think?
In case you missed it, here’s Dr Rhona and Dr Iain’s live Q&A discussing everything to do with periods and heavy menstrual bleeding.
Thanks to everyone who joined and asked questions. We’ll be doing more of these so keep an eye out for the next one!
And if you’d like to know more about the treatments we can offer for heavy menstrual bleeding, check out the link in our bio!
Thank you to our incredible patient for allowing us to share these pictures with you.
This patient has been with me for years but the thing we have always struggled with has been the texture of the skin around the mouth and lower face which has had a lot of sun over the years.
We’d tried less invasive options but ultimately when the skin changes get to this level the only thing that makes a dramatic improvement is full field resurfacing.
There is literally no other treatment capable of undoing sun damage like this. The patient is only a few weeks post-op and still a bit red so she is wearing make up to hide the redness, but already obsessed by the texture of her new skin.
What do you think?
If you`d like to know if you`d benefit from this treatment send us a DM with some pictures or visit the link in our profile for more information on full laser resurfacing.
We`re going live on Wednesday at 7PM! Join Dr Rhona and Dr Iain (@driainmartin) on Instagram live, where they`ll be discussing everything about periods and heavy menstrual bleeding including:
What is “normal” when it comes to menstruation
Heavy periods - what is a heavy period and what might be causing it
Myths vs facts - getting the right information and the right treatment for period problems
They`ll also be answering your questions live, so if there`s anything you`d like to ask, leave a comment or head to our stories. We hope you can join us!
Since we are now in full swing filler season, I’m very grateful to this patient for allowing us to share her pictures to demonstrate how much lift we can achieve just using filler.
Discover more about our method at the link in our bio.
Summer is almost here! If you’re putting off wearing your favourite summer dresses and shorts because of varicose veins, now is the time to think about treatment.
Varicose veins aren’t just a cosmetic concern - they can ache and throb, as well as make us feel self-conscious, especially as the warmer weather approaches.
With so many treatments available, it can be difficult to know where to start. Here’s our lovely Dr Alex with a quick overview of how we can help reduce discomfort, improve appearance and boost your confidence in time for summer.
If you, or someone you know, have been thinking about treatment, now is a great time to explore your options with plenty of time to feel the benefits before summer - check the link in our bio for more details.
Join us on Instagram to keep up with the latest results and expert insights from the clinic team.
Our dedicated team of experts are on hand to help you as you navigate your journey with us.
When you first make contact with us you will be assigned your own personal Patient Relationship Manager. They’ll start by understanding your needs and liaising with our doctors to book you an appointment with the most suitable specialist. For any additional questions or needs, you can message or call them anytime and they’ll be delighted to assist you. Our entire team is dedicated to providing you with the best possible treatment and care tailored to your needs.
Sign up to our newsletter
Keep up to date with the latest news from McKeown Medical and get access to expert insights, our latest before and afters and exclusive offers.
