Do Thread Vein Creams Work?

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The modern market is flooded with cosmetic products claiming to combat the various effects of aging and a busy life. Thread veins are certainly no exception, with many products offering a cheap, convenient, and painless solution to an aesthetic problem that many people find distressing or unseemly. Applying a cream on a regular basis is a far more pleasant prospect than dishing out for the ominous sounding laser treatment, but do they work?

What do thread vein creams contain?

Topical creams will typically contain vitamin K, a naturally occurring substance often used by doctors to treat bruising and thread veins. There are actually three different types of vitamin K, it is K1, also known as phylloquinone or phytomenadione, is the form most typically found in cosmetic creams.

Another ingredient found in some creams is Japanese Pagoda Tree extract, the use of which has been shown to improve circulation. As thread veins occur due to increased pressure on the fine blood vessels of the affected area, you can see how and why improving circulation in the area would have beneficial effects. Similarly horse chestnut has been used as a herbal agent to improve the elasticity and tone of vein walls. This agent has two compounds which act as blood thinners, reducing pressure on vein walls through that avenue. As it is applied topically, these blood thinning properties shouldn’t be a concern, but you should still double check with your GP.

The dubiously dubbed butcher’s broom extract is known to also strengthen veins by means of its steroid like characteristics. Grape seed extract is also known to achieve a similar effect, but has yet to be documented for treatment vein problems.

These ingredients can all be found in a variety of different creams. The most reputable of them however is vitamin K as it is broadly used to accelerate skin healing and reduce bruising (cosmetic surgeons widely use vitamin K creams on their patients to help them recover faster). The causes of bruising, which vitamin K has been used to treat since the 1930s, and thread veins are not dissimilar, damage to blood vessels results in the pooling of blood causing an aesthetically displeasing symptom. Hence you can see why vitamin K would work as a treatment for thread veins as it is absorbed through the skin to repair the damaged blood vessel, allowing for a healthy recovery.

What thread vein creams should I go for?

A number of different brands are out there for you to choose from, but their names and packaging shouldn’t be the basis upon which you choose them. Instead look for ingredients like those mentioned above, particularly vitamin K, and their concentrations. The topical vitamin K creams used by doctors contain a minimum of 5% of the substance, which should give you an idea of what to look for when shopping.

Of course your response to topical creams will be individual and unique to you, but if you look for creams which contain the above ingredients at a reasonable concentration you increase your chances of effectively removing your thread veins with little more than the regular application of a cream. Apply the treatment after a warm shower (which opens your pores) to allow for maximum absorption. A diet full of natural sources of the vitamin is more likely to keep your skin looking healthy and vein free. Vitamin K is naturally occurring in leafy green vegetables, giving you one more reason to shovel down that broccoli!

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