How To Treat Facial Blood Vessels?

Broken blood vessels on the face, also known as spider veins, can be quite troubling. While they are not the symptom of a medical condition, you may not care for the way they look. They can cause reddening of your skin and fine red lines. They are difficult to cover with makeup, but fortunately, a number of permanent dermatological solutions are available to help you cope with your broken blood vessels.

Why Do Broken Blood Vessels Occur?

Broken blood vessels and capillaries can occur for a variety of reasons. Sun exposure, genetics, pregnancy, aging and even powerful facial cleansers can lead to the development of this condition. Other things that can aggravate these vessels and make them appear more prominent include alcohol, hot beverages, extreme weather and spicy foods. Birth control pills and other hormonal therapies can exacerbate the condition, and the skin condition rosacea is also known to contribute to the development of broken blood vessels.

Laser Therapy

Laser therapy is one of the most popular ways to permanently treat these blood vessels. The treatment typically only takes about 20 minutes and is completely noninvasive. The laser closes off the broken vessels, destroying them, and then the body naturally reabsorbs the vessel until it is no longer visible through the skin. Anesthetic is not necessary for this procedure, as the only sensation in most people is a very slight stinging sensation.

Recovery time is very short. Slight inflammation and swelling is usually the only visible indication that laser therapy was done, and it usually subsides by the following day. Occasionally, crusting of the skin may occur, but this is also typically quite minimal, although it might last for a couple of days. Dermatologists do recommend that people who have received laser surgery avoid exercise for a couple of days to allow their face time to heal.

Following the procedure, patients are advised to avoid facial products that contain alcohol, including a number of cleansers and toners, and to wear sunscreen of at least SPF 15.

It is important to choose a good surgeon or clinic to perform your laser therapy. Your primary care physician should be able to provide you with a referral to a trusted colleague.

Additional Therapies

While laser therapy is the most effective and the only permanent way to treat broken capillaries in the face, other therapies have been reported that may help to lessen the appearance of the broken vessels or to prevent them. These therapies include:

-- Adding vitamin C or lysine to your diet
-- Applying vitamin K cream to the affected area
-- Applying cold compresses to the area
-- Receiving sclerotherapy, in which a medication is injected into the vessel to cause it to shrink