Telangiectasia (broken blood vessels or facial capillaries), found on the face and body, are tiny capillaries close to the surface of the skin that break after dilating too often. Dermatologist Dr Lionel Krause provides an overview.
Fair-skinned people are more prone to telangiectasia. This may be caused by years of sun exposure, extreme temperatures, trauma to the skin caused by accidents or surgery, smoking, alcohol, pregnancy and childbirth, to name but a few.
Broken blood vessels on the face are a part of life for men and women as they age. The skin structure (collagen and elasticity) breaks down and is unable to regenerate itself, causing capillaries to become weak.
Broken blood vessels can also be linked to certain medical conditions. By far the most common is Rosacea, where flushing sensitive facial skin and acne-like pimples occur. Although a nuisance, Rosacea is harmless. It’s a condition that can be managed but not cured.
Much less often ‘capillaries’ may be linked to more serious conditions, including some so-called connective tissue disorders and also very rare genetic conditions where the abnormal veins may also be in other organs and cause internal bleeding. Cortisone treatment may be a cause.
Response to vascular lasers and Intense Pulsed Light therapy in skilled operators is good. These lasers target blood (haemoglobin) and cause the vessels to shrink. Some areas are more stubborn such as the grooves around the nose. A course of 3 to 5 treatments is needed with an interval of 4 weeks between each session. Results vary from person to person and adhering to pre- and post-treatment instructions is vital. For instance, it’s recommended that one avoids smoking for a minimum of 2 hours post-treatment as this will cause the vessels to dilate again. Realistically, one can expect an 85% improvement after laser therapy.
Lasermed uses both the Candela V Beam Laser and Ellipse I2PL to treat broken blood vessels.
