Putting a New Face on Broken Capillaries on Your Face

Spider Veins Treatments for Sensitive Skin

Safe Cosmetics While spider veins and broken capillaries on your face can cause a lot of frustration and self-consciousness, there are options for making them disappear. One of the challenges when you have sensitive skin is finding a treatment that won't make your skin worse!

Anyone who has never experienced the appearance of these tiny red spider veins on their face may not understand the degree of pain the condition causes.

Oh, not physical pain—the sufferer is usually not aware of any particular sensation at all. No, the pain is an emotional one, and for some it can be devastating.

The Misery of Spider Veins on Your Face

In this age of paparazzi, super-models, and red carpet glamor, we are constantly being bombarded by images that may undermine our self-confidence and make us feel unattractive, especially if we feel our skin is not as smooth and clear as we would like it to be.

Sometimes, if the case of broken capillaries on your face is mild, or you have a darker complexion, it may not even be a big deal. You may just have the appearance of rosy-cheeked good health.

In moderate to severe cases, the broken capillaries are much more noticeable, creating an array of high-intensity color around your nose and cheeks. :(

You may feel embarrassed about always looking embarrassed, or you may have to constantly explain that you have not missed work to spend hours lying in the sun.

On Christmas Eve, you may decide to take your glowing red nose and go into hiding, in case Santa is looking for a stand-in for Rudolph!

Women can sometimes cover spider veins with a good hypoallergenic concealer , which is considered socially acceptable, however men have it worse.

On top of the embarrassment, if you want to minimize the appearance of your spider veins, you have that extra dose of mortification that comes from having to shop for makeup!

What are Broken Capillaries?

Capillaries are the tiniest blood vessels in our circulatory system. Their job is to facilitate the transfer of vital components between the blood and the tissues of the body. The intricate network of capillaries extends throughout the body, and it lies just beneath the skin.

As long as the capillaries are strong and undamaged, they are invisible; however, certain conditions and circumstances will cause these fragile vessels to dilate, and suddenly they have become very visible as a reddish, purplish, bluish web-like pattern on the skin.

The medical term is telangiesctasia rosacea, and they are often called spider veins because of their resemblance to a spider web. They can occur on other areas of the body, but broken capillaries on face are usually the ones that cause the most distress.

To make matters worse, as we get older, the broken capillaries become more prominent because they are easier to see underneath our thinning skin!

Causes of Broken Capillaries

Some of us are unfortunate to have a genetic predisposition, in which case we may have to accept the condition or find ways to repair or manage it.

In many cases, however, broken capillaries on the face can be caused or aggravated by certain behaviors:

• Washing your face with overly hot water or scrubbing too hard
• Excessive exposure to the sun without sun screen
• Excessive exposure to extremes of temperature or wind
• Alcohol abuse over an extended period of time
• Injury to the face
• Caffeine consumption
• Hormones, including birth control pills
• Dehydration
• Pressure, such as blowing the nose or squeezing blemishes
• Rapid weight gain
• Some skin care products

All of these behaviors affect the capillaries in some way. Alcohol abuse, caffeine, and rapid weight gain generally lead to an increase in blood pressure, which causes a greater volume of blood to be carried by the capillaries.

The fragile walls are forced to dilate, or expand, to accommodate the extra load, and if this pressure is not alleviated, the walls of the vessels become damaged, and allow blood to seep out.

The other behaviors also cause dilation of the vessels, either through irritation or pressure, resulting in the same damage. Once the damage has occurred, the vessels are not able to repair themselves.

You can prevent broken capillaries on face by simply avoiding the behaviors that can lead to the condition, but if damage is already present, it may be time to consider ways to minimize the effects on your complexion.

What Are Your Spider Vein Treatment Options?

First of all, you will need to decide whether or not you want to consult a dermatologist. This is an expert in the area of issues with the skin, who will undoubtedly recommend some options for you to consider.

Laser treatment tends to be recommended by many dermatologists as the best “cure” for broken capillaries on face. The procedure directs concentrated beams of light on the affected area, vaporizing the damaged cells.

While the procedure works very well for many people, there are some possible downsides you should definitely consider.

The Downside of Laser Spider Veins Treatment

Some providers may offer only one type of laser to everyone. If that is the case with the provider you choose, run far, and run fast!

There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all laser treatment; different lasers use different wave-lengths, and appropriate choices should be based on a person’s skin type and the length and depth of the broken capillaries.

Most cases require more than one treatment for full benefit. A treatment can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes.

The treatment can be expensive. One treatment has been known to cost anywhere from $150 to $1400!

Some patients experience no pain or swelling, but others find the experience very uncomfortable, with significant swelling and tenderness that may last for two weeks.

There are some stubborn cases of broken capillaries on face that just won’t respond to laser treatment. If this happens to you, you have spent your time and money for nothing.

Some patients have reported signs of skin damage after having laser treatments. These signs include scarring, wrinkles, orange peel texture, and a sunken appearance. Sometimes these damages didn’t show up until a few weeks after the treatment.

Higher Risk Treatments for Broken Capillaries

I totally understand why you may feel desperate for a spider veins cure! If you have tried everything with no success, you might be willing to try a higher risk type of treatment. That choice is between you and your doctor.

IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) is another treatment option a dermatologist may recommend. While this is not technically considered a laser, it still works on the same principle as lasers, and the risks are virtually the same.

Electrodessication or Electrocautery is not used as extensively as lasers, as the risk of scarring is greater, the treatment is more painful, and crusting in the treated area can last for as much as a week after treatment. Even so, there are still some providers who prefer using this method.

Prescription Medications or Creams are also available to shrink broken capillaries on face. If you and your dermatologist decide to go with this type of treatment, be sure to follow the directions carefully, and test for allergies and/or sensitivities before you apply any cream to your face.

These medications take a little longer to show results, and some users have reported that there was no significant improvement after using them.

So you see, a dermatologist can offer you many options. On the other hand, you may want to avoid these risky treatments and take a more natural, holistic approach to clearer skin.

Natural Remedies For Spider Veins and
Broken Capillaries

Just as with many conditions, there are natural remedies for broken capillaries on your face or body. The solution lies in improving your overall health so that you improve your circulation and strengthen the walls of your blood vessels.

These remedies require some patience, as they don’t provide overnight results, but in most cases they will have a much lower incidence of undesirable side effects.

The information gathered here is from actual people who have tried these remedies. There were always a few people who reported that they didn’t receive the same benefits as others, so keep in mind that not every remedy will work the same way on everyone!

Chamomile or Peppermint tea may help improve your circulation, as well as give you a sense of general well-being. Drink one or two cups of the teas daily. An iced tea made from bilberry fruit also helped several people.

OPCs, oligomeric proanthocyanidins, are considered to be among the best herbal supplements for vascular health, and their antioxidant properties also provide many other health benefits. Grapeseed extract and pine bark extract are examples of OPCs.

If you are sensitive to herbal supplements, try increasing the amount of proanthocyanadins in your diet by eating more blakberries, blueberries, grapes, or by drinking red grape juice. You can learn more about the proanthocyanadins in your food Linus Pauling Institute. There is also some scientific data available from the USDA if you know how to read it!

For those who can handle taking nutritional supplements, some peple have found a daily regimen of 4 grams of Vitamin C and 3 grams of the amino acid Lysine has been successful for many people with broken capillaries on the face.

This is the same regimen prescribed by Linus Pauling for cardio-vascular health. The supplements can be taken in pill or powder form, but be aware that these are very high dosages, and may not be tolerated by everyone.

As always, consult with a trusted health pracitioner or your own inner body wisdom to see if this approach is right for you. When taking such high doses of nutritional supplements, it is recommend they be divided between a morning and an evening dose.

Make a topical remedy by adding lemon juice, peppermint oil, chamomile oil, or rosehip oil to your moisturizer. Just be sure to test the combination first to be sure you will not have a reaction.

In addition, Vitamins K, C, and E added to moisturizers can also help to minimize or eliminate spider veins. The Cleure Day Cream contains a safe hypoallergenic form of vitamin C and E.

How to Cover Spider Veins and Broken Capillaries

Sometimes, no matter how much you try to get rid of broken capillaries, they stubbornly remain on your face! In that case, a hypoallergenic concealer product can work wonders to gently minimize the spider veins.

I recommend the Cleure brand because they are the only brand of hypoallergenic products I've found that is uses nontoxic ingredients AND also minimizes the use of plant allergens. In short, they are the LEAST likely products to irritate sensitive skin.

Whether you choose to deal with your broken capillaries on face the mainstream medicine way or the natural way, make sure you do your homework and understand the pros and cons of your choice. By carefully considering your options and choosing wisely, hopefully you will soon be greeting the world with a brand new face!