What causes spider veins?

Dr. Alex Vesey is our expert consultant vascular surgeon who heads up our varicose vein team at McKeown Medical. Here, he discusses what spider veins are.

Published by Dr Alex Vesey

Date posted — 25.08.24

Expert Video

Spider veins, or thread veins, are caused by the dilation of small blood vessels near the skin’s surface.

Factors contributing to spider vein development include genetic predisposition, hormonal changes (such as during pregnancy or menopause), and prolonged exposure to sun or extreme temperatures.

Other risk factors include prolonged standing or sitting, obesity, and ageing, which weaken the vessel walls and valves. Spider veins are often seen on the legs and face and are generally harmless, but can be a cosmetic concern.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, managing weight, and protecting your skin from sun damage can help reduce the risk of developing spider veins.

We offer a range of treatment options for spider veins (varicose veins), including VenaSeal™ – the most up-to-date method of treating spider 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.

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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Ok. So this is a younger patient in her late 30s and a lot of people might reasonably say "She's gorgeous, what does she need anything done for?" 

And I agree. But she had a little bit of excess fatty tissue around her jawline and neck which really bothered her, especially when she moved her neck. She wanted her jawline to look a bit slimmer and more defined and so we did a Quantum Lift for her. 

This is her just 24 hours later. Her bruising and swelling is not too bad at all, mainly because she didn't have a huge amount done - although she still has a lot of healing to go over the next few months. 

She is already loving the result however! What do you think?
This is a little sneak peek of our upcoming podcast between Dr Darren (@drdarrenmckeown) and our new body contouring expert, Dr George Christopolous (@gchristopoulos). The full video will be going live later this week.
On a scale of 1-10, how excited are we for George to start his body contouring in Scotland?
I’m super excited to welcome Dr George Christopoulos to the dream team at McKeown Medical.

George is a plastic surgeon with a particular interest in body contouring: liposuction, tummy tucks, arm lifts and thigh lifts.

What I really love about George’s work is his approach to liposuction. It’s not about simply emptying out as much fat as possible. He approaches the body almost like a sculptor, thinking about shape, proportion, contours, highlights and shadows. It’s those details that can elevate a fairly standard liposuction result into something really special.

You can check out some of his work on his own page @gchristopoulos 

I’ve also filmed a podcast with George where we get into all things body contouring — what makes a great liposuction result, loose skin, tummy tucks, lipoedema, technology and quite a lot more. I’ll be posting that over the next couple of days.

In the meantime, if you want to meet the man himself, George’s diary is now open for consultations at McKeown Medical.

Join us on Instagram to keep up with the latest results and expert insights from the clinic team.