The Truth About Thread Veins

Today, we’re diving into a common skin concern that affects almost everyone: thread veins. You may have heard them referred to as broken capillaries or spider veins, but these terms all describe the same red, web-like formations that sit just under the surface of the skin.

While thread veins can appear anywhere, they most commonly affect the face and legs. Their appearance can be triggered by various factors. To help you pinpoint the cause of yours, I’ve broken the triggers down into two categories: natural factors and daily habits. Let’s figure out what might be causing yours👇🏼

The General Causes of Thread Veins

1. Genetics: If you have a family history of thread veins, you’re far more likely to get them as well. This is because the strength and structure of your veins and how well your circulatory system functions can be inherited. If either have weaknesses, you may begin to notice the appearance of these visible veins over time.

2. Hormonal Fluctuations: Fluctuating hormones are something we’re all too familiar with as women, as we experience everything from periods, to pregnancy and menopause. These fluctuations can make our veins weaker, which causes blood to pool within them and the excess pressure spills out into thread veins - A bit like when a river gets blocked and small streams branch off it, to restore flow.
 
3. Growing Older: As we age our skin naturally becomes thinner due to our declining collagen levels. This makes the veins underneath more visible when perhaps they were unnoticeable before. To prevent this, we want to supercharge our collagen levels on a daily basis - Which is exactly what The 5 Minute Kit is designed to do.

Daily Habits That Contribute to Thread Veins

1. Temperature Changes: When we take our body temperature from one extreme to the other, our capillaries expand or contract too rapidly. This breaks the vessel wall leaving you with permanently flushed, pink skin. In fact this is the primary reason I advise against using your Dream Clean Cleanser in a hot and steamy shower, and always recommend cleansing with luke warm water at the sink instead.

2. High Heels: Repeatedly wearing heels can restrict the natural movement in your calf muscles. This reduces the effectiveness of blood being pumped back towards your heart and the extra pressure results in, you guessed it, thread veins. In fact, this is where the majority of mine have come from, so I’m now trying to embrace flat shoes as much as possible, to prevent further damage!

3. Sitting For Too Long: Now that many of us have more sedentary jobs, we can sit for almost the entire day. This causes the blood to pool in our veins and when it becomes too much for them to handle, thread veins appear. To help, try and get up from your desk at least every hour, even if you just take a quick walk to the bathroom or the kettle. It will give your circulatory system a much-needed boost.

How to Treat Thread Veins

It’s super important for me to highlight that whilst thread veins may not be the prettiest, they are totally harmless. Unfortunately topical skincare is unable to tackle any that have already appeared, but professional treatments such as laser or IPL work wonders.

They heat up these tiny vessels with light energy, which causes them to collapse and be reabsorbed by the body…It’s always been one of my favourite treatments to perform as you can see them disappear before your very eyes 😍

If you have any you’re concerned about, all you need to do is visit your local skin clinic for a consultation and they’ll advise the best plan of action from there…I’ll be in line to get the back of my legs zapped too 😉