When someone meets you for the first time, the first thing they notice is your face. If you have spider veins on your chin or cheeks, you may not be at your most confident with these blemishes front-and-center. The tiny blue and purple blotches are irritating and embarrassing. The good news is, you’re not alone. Many people have spider veins. Even better, there are several options available to make them disappear. At Beach Cities Vein & Laser Center in El Segundo, California, we offer the latest and greatest in facial vein treatments. We’ll help you say goodbye to those itsy-bitsy spider veins for good!
What Are Spider Veins?
You’ve probably heard the term before, used to describe those little blotchy veins that show up on your legs and face. The look kind of like little blue or purple spider webs. But what exactly are they? They’re small, dilated blood vessels that lie in the in the outermost layers of your skin, which is why they’re so visible!
Spider Veins vs. Varicose Veins: What’s the Difference?
Spider veins and varicose veins are not quite the same, although they might look similar. Varicose veins are larger and deeper in your body than spider veins. That’s why they show up on your legs, where your body’s largest veins are. Varicose veins can vary in size, from a few inches to the entire length of your leg, and they can sometimes cause pain.
Spider veins are smaller and much closer to the surface of the skin. They sometimes occur on legs, but often appear on the face — around eyes, neck, chin and cheeks. They typically form in small blotches and are more of a cosmetic annoyance than anything else. Spider veins aren’t painful. If you have spider veins on your face that hurt, call your doctor as soon as possible.
What Causes Spider Veins?
Spider veins form when capillaries (tiny blood vessels) in your face become dilated. This can happen for two reasons: poor circulation, which can cause blood to pool up in the capillaries, and aging or skin damage, which makes the capillaries loosen and expand. With the extra blood pooling up in expanded blood vessels, they become more visible on the surface of the skin.
There are several factors that can contribute to poor blood circulation resulting in damaged capillaries, including:
- Genetics
- Lack of exercise
- Obesity
- Too much sun exposure
- Smoking tobacco products
- Too much alcohol
- Thin, damaged skin
- Natural effects of aging
Adding insult to injury, inflammatory disorders such as acne or rosacea also may contribute to the formation of spider veins on a person’s face.
You can’t change your genetic makeup, but you can control many of the aforementioned conditions that factor into the presence of spider veins. Limiting your time in the sun and getting exercise are easy things you can do to help control the pesty spider veins. You also can limit your consumption of alcohol and tobacco products.
But what do you do if you already have spider veins appearing? Luckily, there are already facial vein treatments readily available to help correct the problem. You don’t have to live with annoying spider veins on your cheeks and around your eyes, and you don’t have to keep covering them up with loads of concealer. Instead, you can zap them away permanently through several easy treatments.
Facial Vein Treatments
Spider veins don’t pose any serious health risks, but that doesn’t mean you have to be stuck with them, especially if they’re on your face. They are several available options for facial vein treatment:
Sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy is the most common treatment for spider and varicose veins in the legs, and sometimes also can treat spider veins on the face. During this facial vein treatment, Dr. Mark Rayman injects a special solution directly into the vein to force blood to reroute itself through healthier vessels. The troublesome spider vein seals itself off and is reabsorbed into the surrounding tissue, eventually fading away so you gain in their place clearer, more healthy looking skin.
Treated veins take time to fade, from between a few weeks up to a month or two. If you have large spider veins, you may need to have more than one treatment to get the results you desire. The great thing is, veins that respond to sclerotherapy don’t come back so the treatment’s benefits are permanent.
Radiofrequency Ablation
This facial vein treatment features new technology that creates heat that causes the spider veins to coagulate, stick together and collapse. The radiofrequency technology is directed through a pencil-like device that allows Dr. Rayman to keep the energy focused directly on its target for best results. Just like with sclerotherapy, it takes time to see full results as the vein collapses and fades. However, this is a safe and easy treatment that can yield great results if you would rather avoid needles or lasers.
Laser Treatments
Laser treatments also are a popular facial vein treatment. This process uses laser technology to send strong bursts of energy through the skin and into the targeted veins. The spider veins fade slowly until they finally disappear altogether. There are certain lasers designed specifically to treat blood vessels and spider veins without incurring damage to any of the surrounding tissues. You may see results sooner after treatment, but they only improve with time as the spider veins fade and ultimately vanish.
The great thing about all three facial vein treatment options is that they are fast, easy and allow you to pick right back up with your normal daily routine as quickly as possible. Instead of trying to hide your face, these treatments allow you to go about your day with the confidence that those annoying spider veins are a thing of the past.
If concerned about spider veins on your face, then you may be a candidate for any of our easy facial vein treatments. Contact us today at Beach Cities Vein & Laser Center in El Segundo, California, to get more information or schedule your initial consultation!