With age, it’s not uncommon for facial veins to become visible. These patches of veins can be annoying to people who experience them. They’re often unable to be covered by makeup, so people who have them must either accept them or seek treatment to have them removed.
Fortunately, there are a variety of different options available to remove facial veins. The best treatment for facial veins will be one that suits your skin.
What Are Facial Veins?
Facial veins are officially known as benign vascular lesions. They commonly appear on the cheeks or the nose as groups of dilated capillaries. Prominent facial veins have a variety of different causes, including:
Excessive Sun Exposure
Many of our patients enjoy a day at the beach or pool, but those who are constantly exposed to sunlight may develop the appearance of facial veins. Regularly applying sunblock when outdoors may assist in preventing facial veins. Wearing a cap or hat can also help.
Rosacea
Rosacea is a common condition that causes blushing or flushing of the face. As the condition continues, it’s not uncommon to develop facial veins in the locations where the blushing occurs. Those with rosacea may experience its symptoms for several weeks or months at a time.
Use of Topical Steroids
For those with vitiligo, psoriasis, or eczema, doctors may prescribe the use of topical steroids to help control the conditions. Topical steroids can help manage any itching or inflammation caused by these ailments. However, people who use topical steroids often develop facial veins.
Unknown Causes
In some cases, facial veins may develop from no apparent cause at all. Facial veins that appear without cause can be treated with certain therapies, including sclerotherapy or laser treatments. Unfortunately, these types of facial veins are not preventable.
What Are the Treatments Available for Facial Veins?
There are four main facial vein treatments offered by Beach Cities Vein and Laser Center that may be used to get rid of facial veins: sclerotherapy, laser therapy, VeinGogh, and intense pulsed light therapy (IPL).
Each of these treatments may result in the reduction of facial veins, and they are used for different reasons. Therefore, there is no best treatment for facial veins, as each one is appropriate in different situations.
Sclerotherapy
While sclerotherapy is usually used to treat veins that appear on the legs, it may also be appropriate for facial veins. During a sclerotherapy treatment, one of our providers will inject a small amount of medication into the vein with a very thin needle.
The medication causes the vein to collapse and be absorbed by the body. The entire process is very quick and normally requires less than 30 minutes. Results obtained from sclerotherapy procedures on the face may be immediate, or it may take a few weeks for the veins to completely disappear.
Laser Therapy
Laser therapy is another alternative for treating spider veins. This type of treatment commonly uses a pulsed dye laser to target blood cells that are located inside the facial vein. As the laser emits its pulses, the blood vessels absorb the energy, and they are eliminated from the skin.
This procedure can be quite effective in removing facial veins, especially those resulting from rosacea. Laser therapy can also target other skin issues, such as fine lines and acne scars.
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Therapy
IPL is similar to laser therapy, but it uses a different type of light to eliminate spider veins. The pulses that it emits target both the superficial and deeper layers of the skin when used to treat facial veins. Like laser therapy, IPL can also target other common skin concerns, including age spots, freckles, and melasma.
VeinGogh
VeinGogh is a relatively new treatment available to those who have facial veins. It uses a process known as Ohmic Thermolysis to collapse a damaged vein so that it fades from view.
This very precise process is used to target small areas with a fiber that has the width of a human hair. The procedure may be used alone or in combination with other vein treatments. We frequently recommend VeinGogh for very small veins that aren’t a good fit for sclerotherapy.
How Long Do Results Last After Undergoing Facial Vein Treatment?
Your results will vary depending on the type of treatment you receive. They will also depend upon the size, placement, and number of the veins. In some cases, you may see results within a few days, while it may be six to eight weeks in other cases.
Individuals with larger facial veins or who have a number of areas that need to be treated may need to undergo several sessions before obtaining the outcomes they want. However, the results of removing those facial veins will be permanent.
There is always a chance that new facial veins may appear — especially if you have rosacea or another condition that commonly causes facial veins. If so, additional treatments will be needed to maintain the results.
Should I Undergo Treatment for Facial Veins?
Deciding whether to obtain treatment for facial veins is a personal choice. Some people may not be bothered by them, while others would prefer to have them removed. If you’re considering facial vein treatment, reach out to Beach Cities Vein and Laser Center in El Segundo, CA.
We will schedule a consultation with you to understand the results that you want to obtain. During the appointment, one of our skilled providers will examine the area and provide you with the options for the best treatment for facial veins.