Thanks to technology, you too may soon have no more spider veins. The latter, known as telangiectasias, are dilated or broken blood vessels on the skin surface or mucous membranes. While they normally appear as fine pink or red lines, some people also have clusters of telangiectasias that form as a pink or red patch on the skin.
Who gets it?
Fair-skinned people are prone to developing these spider veins on areas with chronic sun damage. And pregnant women are also susceptible. As are people on chronic systemic or topical corticosteroids and those with rosacea and liver disease.
But, telangiectasias are also a classic feature of certain autoimmune diseases that affect the skin and other connective tissues. Examples are scleroderma, lupus and dermatomyositis. As such, we recommend that you visit a dermatologist for a diagnosis on the cause of your spider veins.
Prevention
Fortunately, you can take steps to prevent telangiectasias. These include avoiding the sun, cold, heat, strong wind, smoking, spicy foods, alcohol and hot drinks. Also, don’t ever use abrasive exfoliators on your skin.
Treatment
Fortunately, there’s good news. IPL can treat these pesky superficial spider veins effectively. A specific wavelength of light selectively heats haemoglobin, sealing dilated blood vessels. Unfortunately, it doesn’t prevent new telangiectasias from forming. So, you’ll need to schedule follow-up treatments to maintain the vein-free look.
After that, it’s a matter of being religious about applying sunscreen, wearing sunglasses and a hat, using mild cleansers and avoid using topical steroids.
Photo: from Nordlys IPL
