Britain is currently experiencing the coldest winter for some 30 years according to the weather forecasters; great news for retail sales of hats and gloves but not such great news for our skin.
In the winter time, with icy temperatures and biting cold winds, the skin on our faces can often look pale and pasty and feel thin, dry and chapped. Another problem which is exacerbated by this time of year and general skin pallor is known in medical terms as telangiectasia or thread veins, also referred to as spider or broken veins. Telangiectasias are groups of small, dilated capillaries (blood vessels), i.e. small veins which have expanded making them more visible through the surface layers of skin, especially noticeable when our skin isn't at its moisturised best and with increased ageing.
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Anyone can suffer from thread veins and they are extremely common in the UK population. Although the exact cause is often unknown, they are due to either hereditary or acquired factors, such as those caused by environmental, lifestyle or hormonal influences including smoking, alcohol consumption, temperature and climate exposure, weight gain and pregnancy. They can appear on any part of the body, although mainly arise on the legs and face, with common facial areas including around the nose and across the cheeks. Although harmless, they can cause distress and embarrassment to the sufferer who often feels self-conscious, particularly if the veins are on the face where people can see them, as they worry that they appear unsightly and perhaps age them beyond their years.
Additionally there is a common skin condition amongst middle aged women, (those aged 30 - 50 years), which causes facial redness and thread veins to appear; this is called rosacea. It is said to affect up to 1 in 10 women in the UK population, with fair skinned individuals and those who blush easily more likely to suffer from it. The affected blood vessels are permanently enlarged across the nose and cheeks, accompanied by small, acne like pimples, leading to an overall flushed appearance. As with non-rosacea sufferers, other acquired factors such as alcohol consumption, hot foods (both spicy and in terms of temperature) and exposure to changing climates can usually make the appearance of the thread veins worsen.
Thread veins usually appear very near the surface of the skin as red, purple or blue lines, (depending on their size), which are anywhere from about 0.3mm to 3mm in width or diameter and often radiate across an area such as the nostril or cheek much like a spider's web, hence the common name 'spider veins'. They are not generally painful, although in some individuals they can ache when located in the legs. They are not therefore considered to be a serious medical condition, but more of a cosmetic nuisance.
So what are the treatment options available to remove or reduce the appearance of facial thread veins? Thankfully most treatments are low cost and readily available in clinics up and down the UK; and include:
Skin Camouflage
A simple, cheap and effective way to reduce the appearance of thread veins is by applying specially developed camouflage make-up, such as concealers and foundations. There are many skin camouflage products available in the UK, which come in a wide variety of skin shades and thicknesses. These include brands such as Covermark, Dermablend, Dermacolor, Keromask, Veil and the newest market entrant Lycogel.
Historically, some camouflage products could be thick, heavy and feel restrictive on the skin, giving you a mask like feeling to your face. Developments in this area have created more lightweight formulations which allow the skin to breathe through the creams, helping to oxygenate the skin layers and aid healing where required, whilst still providing full camouflage coverage.
The prices of these products vary according to the brand and product type used, but for example Lycogel Concealer retails for just under £50.
Laser and Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
In 2008, just under 11,000 people researched information on The Consulting Room website for the treatment of vascular problems such as thread veins using laser and IPL devices. To put this into context, a similar number of people researched other more commonly known types of cosmetic surgery such as liposuction, laser skin resurfacing and upper and lower eyelid surgery. This illustrates just how many people are in fact concerned with unsightly thread veins and are actively looking at ways to remove them.
Lasers produce a focused, high energy beam of light which can be precisely targeted at certain tissues within the skin, in this case the thread veins. Lasers produce a single colour or wavelength of light (measured in nanometers, nm) which is attracted by a particular chromophore or target colour within the skin. In the case of thread veins, practitioners use a laser wavelength which is absorbed by the red blood cells causing them to heat up and destroy the walls of the vein so that they close in on themselves and blood can no longer flow through them; all without damaging any surrounding areas.
Lasers which are primarily indicated for the treatment of thread veins are of the type known as pulsed dye lasers (400 - 1000nm, commonly 595nm is used). Another laser often used is known as a KTP or frequency doubled Nd:YAG (532nm) laser. For larger blood vessels, those up to approximately 2mm in width a diode laser (670 - 1551nm) may be used, with a long pulsed Nd:YAG (1064nm) being used for larger, deeper veins up to approximately 3 - 4mm in width, and on those individuals with darker skin tones or a sun tan. In both cases though, it is fair to say that such thread vein sizes are more common in the legs than on the face.
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) systems (550 - 1200nm) work in a similar way but differ from lasers as they can deliver a spectrum of different colours or wavelengths with each large burst of light that they produce from a xenon flashlamp. In order to target the thread veins, certain filters therefore need to be applied to the IPL device in order to achieve the precise wavelengths (green and blue light) that are attracted by the blood vessels.
Practitioners will often use a combination of devices to treat thread veins, depending on their size and extent and your skin type. Lasers are good at targeting single, individual veins due to their small, focused delivery zone or spot size, while IPL is useful for treating broader areas of facial redness and very fine thread veins due to its much larger spot size. In some cases it has been shown that a combination of two laser wavelengths can produce a better result than by using each one alone. One such study published last summer in Germany by Syrus Karsai found that the sequential delivery of a 595nm pulsed dye laser and a 1064nm Nd:YAG laser was superior in treating facial telangiectasia than by using the single wavelengths on their own.
In both cases a topical anaesthetic cream may be applied before laser or IPL treatment to help numb the skin and reduce any discomfort. You may be offered a cold air device to help cool the skin during treatment. You will also be required to wear eye protectors during treatment.
Depending upon the type of light system used, the area being treated, pain relief provided and your own pain tolerance you may experience a mild stinging, burning or pin-prick sensation when the light is delivered, with the area continuing to feel hot for about 15 minutes after treatment and look red for a few hours or so. Side effects, other than transient redness, are rare but can include mild bleeding, scab or crust formation, bruising, skin discolouration, blistering and scarring. After treatment, the veins will generally darken in colour before they eventually lighten and become less obvious.
Treatment sessions usually last 15 - 30 minutes and you will normally require 2 to 3 treatments at 4 weekly intervals for laser or 3 to 6 for IPL. Smaller areas, such as the nose may resolve much quicker. You can expect to pay approximately £75 - £200 per session, depending on the device being used and the extent of the area that you need treated. An average treatment session is around £100 and often a programme of treatment sessions will be discounted.
Any clinic offering thread vein treatment using a laser or IPL device must be registered with The Healthcare Commission, which inspects providers on a regular basis to check the maintenance of machines and the training and qualifications of staff.
Electrolysis
Although commonly associated with the permanent removal of unwanted hair, electrolysis, in experienced hands, can also be used to improve the appearance of thread veins.
Electrolysis, also referred to as electrocoagulation, uses a very fine needle inserted into the skin to pass an electric current through to a target vein where heat is generated, thus destroying the blood vessel in a similar way to treatment by laser light. It is important that the thread vein is targeted correctly by inserting the needle to the correct depth so as to heat it up, and not the surrounding tissues which could cause a burn and leave the blood vessel untreated. As each vein needs to be treated in turn (often with several needle insertions along its length), electrolysis is only really suitable for small areas with individually defined veins that need targeting rather than large areas of facial redness with very fine thread veins. As with light treatments, 2 to 3 sessions may be required to fully remove the thread veins, although practitioners note that 50 - 60% reduction is normally seem after 1 session. Side effects are generally minimal but will include redness, heat and possible scabbing to the area after treatment. Adverse effects such as burns are rare but possible.
Electrolysis is a very cost effective method of treatment, as it is much cheaper to carry out than laser or IPL procedures. You can expect to pay £40 - £50 per treatment session, with top-up treatments normally costing less as they are shorter to carry out.
Microwave Treatment
High frequency microwave energy is also indicated for the treatment of thread veins. An example of one machine which uses this technology is Veinwave. It is said to be particularly effective for small, fine thread veins and rosacea.
Like light and electrolysis treatments it also uses heat generation to destroy the small blood vessels by the process known as thermo-coagulation, but uses high frequency waves or microwaves. As with electrolysis a fine needle is inserted into the vein and the energy is applied to treat the vein without affecting the outer layers of skin. It is said that most find the treatment relatively painless, although you may experience some pain or burning sensation at the needle insertion site; topical anaesthesia can be provided. Following treatment the area may be red for at least 3 weeks, this can sometimes last as long as 6 weeks. Other side effects are rare according to the manufacturers of Veinwave, with a minimal risk of potential scarring. Treatment sessions normally take approximately 15 minutes, depending on how many individual veins require treatment. A single treatment may be enough to remove some thread veins but repeat sessions may be required depending on the number of veins and size of area affected.
Microwave treatment is on a par with laser and IPL when it comes to cost; you can expect to pay anywhere from £80 to £250 per treatment session, depending on the extent of the thread veins, with an average price of £130.
Microsclerotherapy
Microsclerotherapy is the injection of a sclerosant substance into thread veins which causes the vein wall to swell and slowly destroy itself over several weeks.
Although this is often advertised for the treatment of thread veins, with successful results, it is primarily indicated for thread veins on the legs and not the face. This is due to the increased risk of ulceration and scarring with this procedure, which is a very unwanted side effect to risk experiencing on the face. One should therefore be extremely cautious of any practitioners recommending this as a suitable option for treating facial thread veins.
Summary
As many a health professional will often tell you about a variety of ailments, 'prevention is better than cure'. It is therefore recommended that one can minimise the chances of developing thread veins by exercising regularly to improve your circulation, eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight, and avoiding alcohol, caffeine, varying climate exposure and smoking. Of course, if you're genetically predisposed to suffer from thread veins then one of the various treatment options for their removal may be your only solace.
Copyright © 2008 The Consulting Room.
Be Vain About Unsightly Thread Veins!
Lorna Jackson is Editor of The Consulting Room (http://www.consultingroom.com), the UK's largest aesthetic website providing clear and unbiased information to the public on a wide range of surgical and non-surgical cosmetic treatments, combined with a directory of UK & Ireland based clinics and surgeons. The Consulting Room Shop (http://www.consultingroomshop.com), is the first aesthetic online store backed by FACT not FICTION and offers a simple and secure online shopping experience for all the latest in at-home, clinically proven skincare, suncare, post cosmetic surgery after care, laser hair removal and hair growth devices, slimming garments and a wide range of other aesthetic products.
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