The demand can partly be explained by the glorious weather, with women who kept their legs covered up during last year's soggy summer keen to bare all this year.

Brian Newman, a surgeon who specialises in the removal of thread veins, said it is also proving popular with active grandparents who want to look youthful on days out with their grandchildren.

The technique, properly known as thermo-coagulation, uses microwaves to zap the unsightly veins  -  abnormally dilated blood vessels lying very close to the surface of the skin.

An ultra-thin needle which emits a microwave current is poked under the skin in the problem area. The heat produced causes the sides of the veins to stick together, stopping the blood-flow that causes the vessels to show up red or purple.

The half-hour procedure is carried out without anaesthetic and is said to be no more painful than eyebrow plucking.