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health advisory Hospital Diseases 2007-11-12 20:37:48

I have noticed some thread veins on my ankles and inbetween my knees. Although they are not painful, they don't look very nice.

Answer:

They are common and often hereditary. Nothing to be worried about. They are treated with laser therapy at your dermatologist's office if you find them embarrassing. Check your yellow pages. Good luck!

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Thread veins are tiny veins just under the skin that have become dilated.

This occurs as a result of pressure e.g. in pregnancy, and in response to the presence of varicose veins. Thread veins often appear for the first time in pregnancy (as do varicose veins) and although they may be less obvious after delivery, they do not disappear. There seems to be a genetic factor involved in the development of thread veins.

It is true that they are harmless. When tiny veins such as these become dilated it has no significant effect upon the functioning of the rest of the venous system.

Thread veins on the legs and face can reduce the quality of many sufferers lives, as they try to hide their thread veins by wearing trousers, or disguise their codition with heavy make up. Attempts to make the veins less obvious by sunbathing may actually make the condition worse! Many sufferers will also use 'fake' tans to try and conceal the veins.

The current standard 'medical' treatment of thread veins encompasses camouflage make up, laser treatments and sclerotherapy.