Thread Veins on Chest

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While most commonly appearing on the face and legs, thread (also known as spider) veins are known to appear on the chest. This is a concern to some people as the typical presentation of thread veins is on the face and legs. However chest spider veins aren’t that unusual, read on for its causes.

Why do I have thread veins on my chest?

Causes for thread veins on the chest are not unlike those for the condition elsewhere, with some caveats. Over time veins and capillaries lose their elasticity or become damaged, resulting in a fine spider like web of vessels that are visible on the skin. Most of the time the appearance of thread veins is not a concern, they are a natural part of aging as the collagen content of skin falls which, when coupled with the aforementioned vascular changes, results in the condition.

There are however some occasions where thread veins on the chest are a cause for concern. Their occurrence has been linked to liver cirrhosis for example, which is the scarring of liver tissue to the point where function and repair are impaired. The liver is vitally important organ, and when it is damaged to the extent often seen in cirrhosis, a lot of pressure is placed on the vascular system, which can result in symptoms like thread veins. Although having thread veins on your chest doesn’t mean you have a cirrhotic liver! Normally the condition will have been diagnosed beforehand as it is severe enough to present with a host of symptoms. If all you have are thread veins, chances are it is for the above more typical reasons.

Bruising on the chest can also present with surrounding thread veins, these however tend to clear up as the bruising disappears. Similarly chronic coughing brought on by chest infections, bronchitis, emphysema etc. in which you suffer from racking and violent coughing over an extended period of time can result in damage to vessels on your chest, resulting in thread venation. In these cases the underlying chest condition is the major concern, and clearing it up is the first and most important step, after which if thread veins remain, cosmetic surgery can be considered.

Removing thread veins on the chest

If you find your condition has a negative impact on your self-esteem and confidence then there are a host of cosmetic procedures available to provide effective treatments. Chest thread veins can have a particularly profound effect on women who find the spread of spider veins on their breasts to have a significant impact on their self-image.

These methods largely use a medium (e.g. light in laser therapy) to damage thread veins, the result is that the body effectively absorbs the damaged cells leaving mark free skin. Lasers and Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) use focussed, Veinwave uses microwaves, electrolysis uses electricity, and sclerotherapy uses a drug to achieve this clinical endpoint.

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