Thread veins of the legs (commonly known as spider vein or thread veins) are a very common problem. They cause significant cosmetic embarrassment and many patients particularly women will not expose their legs as they feel ashamed and embarrassed by the unsightly veins. The reasons why some people develop these veins are not completely understood but there are strong associations with hereditary factors, pregnancy, obesity, hormonal factors and excessive standing.

Often these spider veins cause no symptoms but they can cause leg ache, tired legs, itch and a “burning" discomfort. Symptoms are worse in warm weather. Their appearance can be from a few light and fine red veins to large purple or deep blue vein clusters.

The leg vein treatment is complex. Most importantly each patient must be individually assessed as there are many different types of leg veins and they may be associated with varicose veins and superficial venous reflux. Thus it is important to properly assess the entire venous system of the leg in order to get the best result from treatment. It is important to know if there is any connection between the superficial thread veins and the deep veins. If there is a connection and it is not treated then treatment of the superficial thread veins will be much less effective.

In many cases combination treatment is required for leg vein treatment. Research has shown that many superficial spider veins are associated with a nearby “feeder" vein called a reticular vein which should be treated simultaneously. Once the reticular feeder vein has been treated the more superficial thread / spider vein can be treated by microsclerotherapy or may be treated by laser sclerotherapy.

Chemical microsclerotherapy relies on the injection of small amounts of a toxic chemical into the vein to destroy the venous lining and to hence destroy the vein. After several sessions the patient can get a 60% to 80% improvement.

Laser sclerotherapy uses laser energy to heat the vessel and to destroy it.

Both systems may need several treatment sessions to achieve a good result.