Facial veins are those ugly spider veins and blue veins found on the face of millions of people. While the veins themselves are generally benign in nature, they can be a point of focus for many people who would prefer to have a much cleaner complexion. Facial vein treatments can help people attain the complexion that they have always wanted and are proud to display to the world. Our staff of vein specialists can offer you a safe, easy and effective treatment option for your specific facial vein problem.
Causes
The truth is that we really do not 100% know. What this means is that for most people, the cause is multifactorial. This means that it is due to many different things ranging from heredity, hormonal influences, sun damage, and many underlying medical conditions. These facial veins can also often be mistaken for other underlying skin issues like rosacea, another very common skin disorder.
Is it painful?
The amount of discomfort really depends on what and how the facial veins are being treated. What treatment works best really depends on what kind of facial veins you are trying to eliminate. Small red veins (telangiectasias) and bluish varicotic veins are generally treated differently. Some facial veins require a topical laser treatment while others may actually require an injection. Each treatment will have its own type of discomfort. Topical laser treatments for facial veins are typically described as like a warm rubber band snapping against the skin, while the injection feels like a quick sting and a slight burning sensation. In either case, both are very much tolerable and any pain and discomfort is generally very short lived.
How many treatments are needed?
On average, most patients with larger bluish veins generally require at least two to three treatment sessions to attain a desirable result. Those with small red telangiectasias often also require two to three treatments with a laser. How many actual treatments will ultimately depend on the severity of the facial veins. Treatments are typically spaced 2-4 weeks apart depending on whether the person underwent an injection treatment or a laser treatment. Each treatment normally lasts less than 30 minutes.
Do they come back?
People with facial veins will always have a tendency to develop new and more facial veins even after treatment especially considering that many facial vein issues have an inherited component. Fortunately, even new ones can be treated as well.
More Information
Facial veins can be comprised of a long list of possible culprits including but not limited to spider veins, telangiectasias, and cherry or spider angiomas. In fact, facial veins are really no different than the spider veins that many see on their legs and feet. They are basically just dilated veins on the face. Most commonly located on the forehead, temples, nose and cheeks, facial veins can really be found anywhere on the face and neck. Often associated with vein disease, facial veins can be made worse by excessive sun damage, aging, radiation exposure, liver disease and steroid use.
The best treatment option for facial veins, really depends on the type and size of the vessels that are being targeted. Small telangiectasia vessels are generally best treated using a topical laser. This treatment applies laser energy directly to the affected area. The laser energy is subsequently absorbed by the blood within these small vessels causing the vessel to heat up. This ultimately causes the vessels to shut down and visually disappear, restoring a person’s overall complexion. Laser treatments of this nature have been available for many years and are extremely safe and effective when used by trained medical specialists.
Larger veins require a much different treatment. They are treated in a manner similar to modern treatments aimed at eliminating spider veins on the extremities, a procedure called sclerotherapy. The only difference in this case is that the procedure is performed on the facial veins. Sclerotherapy involves injecting a chemical sclerosant directly into the target facial vein. The chemical sclerosant then proceeds to chemically damage the inside of the vein lumen forcing the vein to shut down. Depending on the size of the vein, the number of treatments will vary. The larger the vein diameter, the more treatments required.
The end result will be a vein that has been shut down and is now no longer visible. Thus giving the person a complexion that they have always wanted. All with little to no side effects. Lasers and sclerotherapy treatments have both been shown over time to be extremely safe and effective treatments when performed by experienced medical specialists. Should you find yourself in need of a facial vein treatment specialist, please call our friendly staff at STL Vein and Cosmetics to set up your free consultation. You don’t have to live with this. It is treatable for most people.
