We’ve all caught a glimpse of a new line or mark in the mirror that wasn’t there before and felt our heart sink a little. While our bodies constantly change, sometimes those changes manifest as unwelcome, persistent reminders that time is passing. And whilst this process is completely natural and expected, it doesn’t mean that it may feel desirable. Among the most common signs of ageing are are thread / spider veins and ruby angiomas / cherry angiomas, which I’ve noticed I’ve developed over the past couple of years and dislike. So, let’s take a closer look at them…
Medically, these red, blue, or purple spots and lines are usually harmless to us. But their presence can cast a surprisingly large shadow over our self-esteem and body confidence. Having raised red dots pop up prominently across my arms and chest, as well as a web of blue veins on my thigh made me initially think that I’d injured myself somehow, and so I waited patiently for it to heal, not realising that it was a natural sign of ageing.
What Are Thread Veins & Ruby Angiomas?
These two conditions share a common root: small, dilated blood vessels that are near the skin’s surface.
- Thread Veins (Telangiectasias/Spider Veins): These appear as fine, visible lines that often branch out like a spider’s web or tree branches. They are most common on the legs and face.
- Ruby Angiomas (Cherry Angiomas): These are small, bright red, dome-shaped spots. They are an overgrowth of tiny blood vessels and are most frequently found on the trunk, arms, and legs. They often start small and can increase in number with age.
Why Do We Get Them?
The causes of why we get them vary slightly, but a common thread is often a combination of factors outside our control.
Thread Vein Causes:
- Genetics: If our parents had them, we’re more likely to develop them.
- Hormonal Changes: Fluctuations during pregnancy, puberty, menopause, or the use of oral contraceptives can contribute.
- Sun Exposure: UV damage can weaken blood vessel walls, particularly on the face.
- Lifestyle: Professions or activities that involve prolonged standing or sitting can increase pressure in leg veins.
Ruby Angioma Causes:
- Age: They are incredibly common, with many adults over the age of 30 having at least one. They are often called “senile angiomas.”
- Genetics: A family history is a significant risk factor.
- Pregnancy and Hormones: Like thread veins, hormonal shifts can be a contributing factor.
- Unknown Factors: In many cases, the precise cause remains a medical mystery, and so it is seen as simply a normal part of the ageing process.
The Self-Esteem Sting
Here is where a medical non-issue becomes a deeply personal one. Despite being benign, the visibility of these vascular changes can have a profound psychological impact. As we strive to love and protect our skin, such a bold and unexpected deviation can feel like a flaw. These visible reminders that our bodies are changing and ageing can chip away at our confidence in time.
Whilst I feel blessed and honoured to age, I also take time and care to look after my body, mind and soul. I’m not striving to look perfect or beautiful to please others, but just to feel at peace in my skin. If I had cracked heels I would soothe them, sore skin I would treat it, acne I would cleanse it, dry hair I would lovingly try to restore moisture; for me it is an act of self-love, care and mindful kindness to take care of my skin, just as I take care of my children.
But a sneaky sabotage takes place as our body changes, which we may not even notice until suddenly our everyday lifestyle is unrecognisable…
Wardrobe Dictation: Many people stop wearing clothes that they truly love, in order to cover up skin changes. Shorts, skirts, swimming costumes, or even short-sleeved tops are often avoided, regardless of the temperature, because of the anxiety of exposing the affected areas.
Increased Self-Consciousness: Simple social situations, such as a beach day, a yoga class or even just a conversation can be overshadowed by internal worry: Are they looking at it? Did they notice? This constant self-scrutiny can be exhausting and isolating for many.
Feeling Out of Control: When changes are largely due to genetics or ageing, it can trigger feelings of frustration or helplessness. You can eat healthy and exercise regularly, but if your genes say otherwise, those little spots will still appear.
The Stigma of Vanity: Seeking treatment is often wrongly perceived as vanity. However, for many, the desire for treatment is driven not by superficiality, but by a deep need to reclaim confidence, freedom, and a better sense of self-worth. It’s about feeling comfortable in your own skin again and having the freedom of choice. Just as we may decide to use hair dye to cover over unwanted greys, apply a night time moisturiser to rehydrate and brighten our skin, or choose the lighter option on a restaurant menu to preserve our healthy diet and lifestyle, making choices about our skin doesn’t have to be selfish or shallow.
Reclaiming Confidence
If thread veins or ruby angiomas are causing you distress, please remember two crucial things:
You are not alone. These conditions are extremely common in both men and women across all ages, and your feelings of self-consciousness are valid.
Options exist. For those who feel their quality of life or self-esteem is genuinely impacted, various safe and effective cosmetic treatments, such as laser therapy, sclerotherapy, or electrocautery, are available to significantly reduce or remove these marks.
Jeunvie Non-Invasive K-Laser Treatments
Confusing my own skin changes for injuries, rather than natural signs of ageing, I didn’t feel distressed or upset enough to do anything about them, but would run a mindful finger across my skin each time that I saw them throughout my day, wondering what it would look like if they were no longer there; how my body used to be, how I always knew myself to be. But with a sigh, I’d put it to the back of my mind and carry on with my day.
So when I saw a post on social media from Jeunvie offering packages at £75.00 for 30mins of treatment with the K-Laser, I jumped at the chance to remove these unwanted skin changes; an autumnal skin spring cleaning if you will! I have used Jeunvie for many years now, because of their vegan, sensitive-skin and autoimmune friendly skincare range. Their holistic clinic focuses on non-invasive natural skin treatments with not a needle or drop of blood in sight.
Having rosacea, which causes my face to flush red and feel hot, I have spider veins around my nose which adds to the redness of my face, as well as on my upper thigh. I also look as though I’ve been flicked by a paintbrush with red paint, as a scattering of ruby angiomas have popped up all over my arms, chest, stomach and legs over the years. Again, these were something that I’d noticed but never thought to do anything about, until I happened across such an amazing offer that was too good to refuse.
Entering the beautiful clinic in South Kensington, I was greeted by reception and taken to the state of the art treatment room. Talking through my consultation with the lovely practitioner, she instantly put me at ease as to the treatments she recommended for the skin complaints that I presented. I’ve never had a thread vein removal before, nor treatment for ruby angiomas, and I’d mentally prepared myself for a “sharp scratch” like that of an injection, or a “deep burn” of having a tattoo. Ultimately, I knew that whatever it felt like, it wouldn’t take long to do, and I declined any numbing cream or pain relief in favour of being a weightlifting mother of two and knowing my pain tolerance levels.
Never in a million years did I realise how quick, easy and comfortable these treatments are, or I’d have had them done years ago when my skin first started changing, rather than waiting for them to progress to the extent they have. With my consent forms complete, and an action plan in place, I laid on the bed for my treatments to begin.
Seated comfortably, my skin was cleansed and I was given a pair of laser goggles to protect my eyes. My ruby angiomas were the first to go! A pen like tool hovered over my skin, producing a short warm zap as my raised, red lumps disappeared in less than a second. It was such a cathartic experience to see these raised red marks across my body instantly change to that of a small and flat freckle in appearance. I’d gotten so used to seeing red dots everywhere, it felt as though I had been reintroduced to my body, to me again.
Moving onto my thread veins, I was expecting this to be the worst and most noticeable part of the treatment for pain. My mind had conjured up all of these torture scenarios of pulling out veins, needles blindly piercing my skin to try to hit them, or fire burning them closed. When the reality was pretty much exactly the same concept as the ruby angiomas, a short zap of the pen and the blue lines beneath the surface of my skin vanished. I watched in amazement as they disappeared before my eyes like invisible ink; this unwanted marking across my skin, the dark roadmap of age spreading across my leg – vanished! It took me a second to comprehend just how different my leg looked. Something I would have lived with and disliked, removed in just a matter of seconds, like discarding a teabag from a cup. So simple, yet so life-changing, restoring my legs to the legs that I’ve always known and recognised. No more sitting with my hands placed to the right hand side of my lap to discreetly cover a web of blue veins, just my skin. My beautiful, natural skin.
And so the final step was to tackle the thread veins around my nose, rather than being blue like the ones removed from my leg, these were deep red and have been something I’ve felt so self conscious over for decades. Often negatively associated with excessive alcohol consumption and a poor lifestyle, I am a beacon of health and fitness and rarely drink for how terrible it makes me feel, but my sensitive skin and genetic rosacea causes veins to rise to the surface of my skin. I haven’t neglected my skin, caused or invited this redness, I’ve simply been dealt a bad hand and always hidden the symptoms with makeup as I have such naturally pale white skin which is a direct contrast to the deep red veins.
I was expecting the area around my nostrils to be highly sensitive, make me jump, or be the greatest cause of pain for treatment. But, just as the rest of my body, I hardly felt a thing, just a pleasantly warm zap, not hot, and it was over. One by one, the practitioner targeted the laser onto each thread of the web of veins, and they instantly retracted, disappeared and left as if they were never there. My spring clean of veins and red lumps removed, it made me feel far more emotional than I was expecting, as my heart swelled and I felt the most incredible sense of relief and freedom from a weight that I didn’t realise I’d been carrying.
The final part of my treatment involved applying a healing serum to each area the laser had touched. As I had treatment all over my body, I removed my top and jeans so that I could be in my underwear to access my arms, legs and torso. The Jeunvie soothing serum naturally reduces inflammation and protects the skin, nurturing healing with no side effects, no need for pain relief, no bleeding or cuts. Whilst different areas of the body respond differently to laser, there is a light initial redness to the surface of the skin which subsides shortly after, with light speckles of scabbing or frosting in other areas, but not to the extent of a scratch or cut, as the skin isn’t broken. This heals naturally over the coming days to reveal clear natural skin beneath.
I supposed it’s the same as when we buy a new car, we go so far out of our way to polish the bodywork, have it valeted, keep a beautiful air freshener inside so that it always smells lovely, looks great and is a pleasure to drive. But after years of use we may have a few stone chips on the paintwork, wear and tear on the seats, perhaps a broken dial on the dash or creaky handle. We can choose to allow something that we once loved and cherished to fade away, or we can invest our time, love and attention to restore it to its former glory. Taking pride in our appearance, just as we take pride in our home or car, isn’t a bad thing, it’s not selfish or cruel, its a necessary kindness and expression of love.
Do I look like a different person following my treatments? No. Am I suddenly fake, enhanced or a clone of everybody else? No. I am simply me, again. Me, revisited. Me, innately. These marks from my surface, like applying a beautiful wax to your car on a summers day, or adding a vase of flowers to the hallway table, they make you feel joy, peace and freedom. And I have the peace of my skin once more, I may not look different, but these changes are life changing, and together they’ve lifted me immensely.
Jeunvie offer a whole host of healing and aesthetic treatments for all of your skin needs, using advanced medical therapy. The antibacterial and bio-stimulatory effects of blue, red, and infrared wavelengths from their K-Laser Blue delivers faster healing, reduced inflammation, and enhanced tissue regeneration to target infections, wounds, acne, and chronic conditions while stimulating natural collagen production and circulation.
All treatments are safe, effective and versatile, combining cutting-edge science with non-invasive comfort to offer outstanding results. Whether you’re looking to treat thread veins, rosacea, telangiectasia, ruby angiomas, stretch marks, skin tags, sun marks, scar revisions or facial rejuvenation; the treatments that I had within my half an hour session for £75.00 would have cost me hundreds if priced individually. I’m so thankful that I scrolled my news feed at the precise time to spot the social media post which led me to think of my niggling skin complaints and get them sorted, once and for all.
Ultimately, the goal is to shift the narrative around skincare to one of self-love rather than vanity. Whether you choose to pursue treatment for skin complaints, or embrace your body’s own unique map of changes with time, the power lies in your hands. Know that you can reclaim control over your skin if you so wish. Our worth is not defined by the uniformity of our skin, but the peace within our heart. If seeking treatment helps you to feel more like yourself again, then please know that it’s an investment in your mental wellbeing, not just your appearance.
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