Please help - hideous veiny legs

[MadameSapphire]

Just that - legs are covered in awful thread veins and now at the point where I’m avoiding swimming with friends ‘cos I hate them so much. Have even said no to a holiday to Spain because of them. Please no unkind comments or ‘get over it’ comments, this is actually affecting me quite a lot. Can anything be done on the NHS? Or just privately? What are the best treatments? If it’s relevant, I’m slim and in my 30s. Thank you.

Have you tried some fake tan?

Not on the NHS, but privately, either laser or sclerotherapy (injections).

Leg makeup.....might be Sally Hanson.V easy to use and stays on (except on light furniture of course!) I looked at scelerotherapy (I think) for vein removal and it was astonishingly expensive and required wearing surgical stockings for a while.Makeup was much easier.

I think it’s just private now, I hear the French are very good at this sort of procedure.

@Mosaic123 and @angstridden2 , I’ve tried every kind of fake tan (inc. Sally Hansen), but they won’t cover them. 🙁

Being pedantic...it’s SH leg makeup not fake tan although that might be what you tried.

You can get full length swimming costumes if that would make you feel comfortable? But please don't make this issue stop you doing things you would enjoy- that would be such a waste of your life.

I have the same but recently thought fuck it and this summer I’m wearing shorts, I have nice trim legs from running and if anyone wants to stare at my veins they are welcome.

We are moving to France in a couple of years. Is this true @Fluffycloudland77

So I’ve read. Could be bollocks though.

tatler do a cosmetic surgery guide.

Thank you. I shall investigate.

@angstridden2, sorry - realise SH is make-up… have also tried other camouflage make-up, too.

My DS suffers with bad varicous veins too. She has paid privately several times to get them treated. It was painful and she had to wear the compression stockings for a while afterwards. They have improved slightly but not really that noticeable. I feel for her as cost such alot of money. She uses a special make up to cover them which makes her feel more confident. Unfortunately though she says it makes her legs really hot and obviously not good if wanting to go swimming. Not sure what the answer is but I bet nobody else notices them like you do.

DSis that should say!

If they are just thread veins they are relatively easy to treat but costly!

I've been where you are, spending fortunes on creams that were never going to work and reading up on sclerotherapy. I decided not to go for it as it seemed like the veins would likely come back. I'm not going to tell you to get over it, because, when did that ever work. But. I do look back now and wish I'd spent less time hating my body and getting on with the fun things in life instead.

I'm the same as you OP. I'm 50 now and have always hated my legs as they have one protruding vein but I've finally thought 'fuck it' and for the first time in my life I have gone on holiday with only shorts and short knee length dresses. I'm sick and tired of being the only one walking around in baking heat in a maxi dress because I fear someone might not like my legs.

I have a huge one of these and haven't even considered not wearing shorts. I would work on body confidence maybe with a therapist rather than have a treatment where it might reoccur. It would be easier to organise and probably the same cost and would be useful for all manner of body stuff that will come up as you get older.

Your legs sound like mine @MadameSapphire . My legs are chunky blocks of stilton, but you know what, they do their job. I've been told a few times they're short (30 in inside leg, 5'4" doesn't strike me as short) but they go all the way from my bum to my feet. They've even done their fair share of cycling, hiking and running.
I've had thread veins and the odd bulging vein ever since I can remember despite not being overweight. I wear shorts most of the year and use lots of badly applied fake tan.
On the plus side -they're not hairy and I've never shaved them.

Scleropathy works well. Not cheap but permanent, although it might take a few sessions to clear them all up. I haven't tried laser, but I gather it's good, too. I'm mid seventies, had my veins done years ago, but once done, it's over.

My friend had hers done privately as the nhs consider it cosmetic and not essential although I do appreciate it gets people down.
I used to work in dermatology as admin at a hospital, we used to get a lot of phone calls but they don't do operations considered as "cosmetic" as they aren't essential and with waiting lists as they are with the COVID backlog even varicose vein operations are taking longer than they should so going private is your only option.
Seriously tho nobody will be looking at your legs - don't let it stop you from what you want to be doing life is too short

I'm the same! Hate them but I've worked in a hospital on my feet all day for 20 years so think I'm stuck with them. I've tried sclerotherapy in the past and it didn't work at all. I think it actually made them worse as I got the iron deposit type things on my legs afterwards. I also got a course of laser treatment and it made not a jot of difference. Both were really expensive and a waste of money for me.
I use SH leg make up if I'm wearing a dress and I think it works really well. It's like thick foundation and covers about 80% of them. I also wear fake tan to make them less noticeable.
I think you need to just accept them OP and dress accordingly. No one will notice them as much as you do. Everyone has bits of their bodies they don't like.

I had treatment at www.veincentre.com. I had bad varicose veins as well as thread veins so it was a much more extensive procedure, but I've never regretted it. Nearly 2 years on I'm still very glad I had it done. Typed out a very detailed response then page reloaded and I lost it, but may try later.

I’ve been using dermacol makeup to cover mine plus a layer of fake tan over, honestly been life changing, I also have them on the tops of my arms and it’s made me so much more comfortable. The makeup does not budge, even in the shower so it’s perfect for sunbathing

Thank you for all the replies. @DivorcedAndDelighted, I’d be really interested to hear more about your experience (if you have a chance to write detailed response again!). @EC1977 , I’ve tried some camo make-up that hasn’t worked - how did you get the right shade in Dermacol? Thanks.

I suffered with these and varicose veins. I had them treated at the Vein Centre and am so happy with results. I had scelotherapy on the thread veins, and this has made a big improvement. In my case red veins were made worse by the varicose veins, so the feeder veins had to be dealt with before the smaller veins could be treated.

I have a predisposition to thread veins and have had them since my teens. I had a Thermavein treatment yesterday on facial veins, and also a test patch done on my thigh to see how that works for me. There’s a thread on her about Thermavein, it’s similar to Vein Wave.