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.

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.

Related Articles

Dr Alex Vesey consultation

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.

venaseal device up close

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...

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.
IS THE QUANTUM LIFT A CUT-PRICE FACELIFT? 

No, and here’s why.

A deep plane facelift goes deeper into the face, removing deep fat, muscle and salivary glands which is how you get those sharp neck contours. The Quantum Lift works more superficially, tightening skin and reshaping jowls in 90 minutes under local anaesthetic, but it can’t reach those deeper structures.

I believe in the Quantum Lift. I just won’t pretend it suits everyone.

Good aesthetic medicine means the right procedure for the right patient, not one treatment doing it all.

#QuantumLift #FaceliftAlternative #NonSurgicalFacelift #SkinTightening #AestheticMedicine MedicalAesthetics GlasgowAesthetics GlasgowClinic
Some more Quantum Lift magic! 

This patient is just 24 hours after her Quantum lift with fat redistribution. As part of the procedure we sometimes take some of excess fat that’s been removed from the neck and jowls and replace it along the chin and jaw to create more definition. 

Although she’s still bruised and swollen, I think we can all already see where this result is heading. 

The patient is delighted! What do you think?
Dr Rhona is back!

We’re delighted to share that Dr Rhona Cameron will be returning to clinic at the beginning of September following her maternity leave and her diary is now open for appointments! 

We know many of you have been looking forward to seeing Rhona again, and we’re so pleased to welcome her back! 

If you’d like to book an appointment with Dr Rhona, you can do so via our website or app, or contact the team on 0141 370 0509.
Once again, the combination treatment wins the day! 

This patient came to us hating her neck and jowls, but she would not consider anything invasive. Treating the neck is always a challenge especially with non-invasive treatments only. 

For this patient we first of all reduced the fat under the chin using CoolSculpting, then we did some hyaluronic acid under the mandible to define the jaw and finally we did some Sofwave to tighten the skin.

 The patient is over the moon with her results. What do you think?

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