Can radiofrequency or ultrasound cavitation treatments cause thread veins?

LipoTherapeia: Check our advanced skin tightening, phototherapy and cellulite treatments in London, based on the best technologies in the world and on more than two decades of experience over more than 20,000 sessions

• Properly applied, deep-acting RF or ultrasound does not cause spider veins - at least not at our clinic in the last 14 years

• Superficial radiofrequency and thread/spider veins

• Unprofessionally applied ultrasound and spider/thread veins

• With properly applied RF/cavitation thread veins should normally not be an issue

• Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts

• Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia

• The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening

Properly applied, deep-acting RF or ultrasound does not cause spider veins - at least not at our clinic in the last 14 years

Deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the strongest SAFE technologies for cellulite reduction and skin tightening.

As both technologies produce heat (more with RF, less with ultrasound), and as both technologies are used with varyign levels of training and equipment quality, some people worry that their thread / spider veins may worsen.

At LipoTherapeia we have provided about 13,000 radiofrequency and ultrasound cavitation treatments in the last 14 years (January 2025) and we have never, ever had a problem with causing the creation of new thread veins (also known as spider veins or telangiectasia) or making existing ones worse.

In theory, spider veins may become worse with the application of extreme heat (spider veins occur due to blood vessel weakening and/or distention and heat is known to dilate blood vessels).

However, both our radiofrequency and ultrasonic cavitation treatments are deep acting, meaning they bypass the skin surface and are applied deeper inside the skin. So extreme heat does not occur where blood vessels can be overheated.

As a result, veins are not affected/damaged and clients do not develop spider/thread veins.

A further effect of radiofrequency, specifically, is that it stimulates collagen synthesis and collagen contraction, and improves tissue metabolism overall. As a result, both skin and blood vessels actually strengthen with radiofrequency, they don’t weaken or break.

Perhaps, there may have been a handful of cases in the 13,000 where thread veins have became worse but not noticeably enough to be mentioned. But over the last 14 years we’ve had zero complaints or mentions about such an issue from any of our 2,000+ RF/ultrasound clients.

So, in summary, no, we have never had a problem with spider veins with our radiofrequency / cavitation treatments. As with anything biological, there is not a guarantee that such a thing will not ever happen in the future but we have never seen it before.

Superficial radiofrequency and thread/spider veins

Still, some people worry about thread veins after RF treatments, as they have heard/read on the internet that this is sometimes an issue.

Indeed, at some clinics where they use superficial radiofrequency (such as bipolar RF, tripolar RF, low frequency monopolar capacitive RF etc), the surface of the skin may reach extreme temperatures and in that case that can perhaps result in the creation of spider veins.

However, we would never use such superficial technologies or protocols, as they do not help with either cellulite or skin tightening and/or may cause other adverse reactions, in addition to telangiectasia.

Thanks to our advanced equipment, protocols and extreme care we employ, we have better than 99.5% safety rate at our clinic, with the less than 0.5% being mild, temporary irritation.

Unprofessionally applied ultrasound and spider/thread veins

Regarding ultrasound cavitation, again, we know that some clinics and salons use ultrasound in such a way where skin can end up being burned - and that could also damage thread veins too.

Obviously, we do not use such unthoughtful protocols and our ultrasound never results in extreme temperatures. In fact, this is an unprofessional way to use ultrasound.

With properly applied RF/cavitation thread veins should normally not be an issue

So, unless you go to a clinic where they use radiofrequency and ultrasound cavitation either with poor quality equipment on in haphazard ways, normally there should be no problem with thread/spider veins, with the rare exception occurring, of course, from time to time.

Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts

At LipoTherapeia we have specialised 100% in skin tightening and cellulite reduction for more than two decades and 20,000+ sessions.

This is all we study and practise every day and have researched and tried hands-on all the important skin tightening equipment and their manufacturers.

As strong, deep acting radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the technologies of choice for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, we have invested in the best RF/ultrasound technologies in the world.

Furthermore, over the last two decades we have developed advanced RF and cavitation treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.

And for even better, faster results, we now combine our RF/ultrasound treatments with high-power red/infrared light LED treatment.

Our radiofrequency/ultrasound/LED treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, microneedling-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.

And our focus is on honest, realistic, science-based treatment, combined with caring, professional service, with a smile.

We will be pleased to see you, assess your cellulite, skin laxity or fibrosis, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.

Learn more, check prices and book an expert cellulite / skin tightening treatment at our London clinic.

Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia

At LipoTherapeia we are passionate about phototherapy (also known as photobiomodulation/PBM, red light therapy, infrared light therapy, blue light therapy, LED light therapy etc) and we use the most powerful equipment available today (up to 200mW/cm2), for best results and treatment of large body areas.

We use specialised therapy protocols for skin rejuvenation / anti-ageing, pigmentation / post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), moderate/severe acne, skin redness, sensitive/inflamed/irritated skin, wound healing, sports injuries / musculoskeletal pain and overall wellness / well-being.

Our LED phototherapy sessions are comfortable, deeply relaxing and super-safe and are great to enhance our radiofrequency/ultrasound treatments for skin tightening / cellulite reduction.

On our booking page you can book stand-alone phototherapy sessions or combine them with our other treatments, as an add-on.

Learn more or check prices and book an expert LED phototherapy treatment at our London clinic.

The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening

Do you want to deeply understand radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, LED phototherapy, cellulite and skin tightening?

Attend a half-day, 1-day, 2-day or 3-day one-to-one masterclass and confidently offer your clients the safest, strongest and most effective treatment possible.

Service available via Zoom or at our central London practice.

Learn more or check prices and book training at our London clinic or via Zoom.