Eliminating Visible Facial Veins in San Francisco, CA

Do you have red veins in your cheeks that even makeup can’t conceal? Networks of purplish veins on your nose? These visible facial veins plague millions of people—both women and men—and they’re not going to go away on their own.

Before & After Photos of Facial Veins (treated with the Vbeam laser):

*Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed and may vary from person to person.

There’s nothing too complicated about what’s behind visible facial veins (also known as spider veins, telangiectasias, spider angiomas, and benign vascular lesions)—they’re simply blood vessels that have dilated due to the weakening of fibers in their walls. Spider veins are essentially smaller versions of varicose veins: like varicose veins, they are swollen and twisted, but occur in the capillaries instead of larger veins. But while what they are is no mystery, many people who have visible veins aren’t really sure what to do about them. These broken veins generally appear on the neck, cheeks, nose, eyelids, and forehead, are easily seen through the skin, and can be red, purple, or blue in color—which means they’re prominently placed, easily seen, and therefore often embarrassing for those who have them. Spider veins are more likely to develop in women than in men, and, along with varicose veins, appear more frequently with old age: It’s estimated that 30 to 60 percent of adults have either spider or varicose veins.

Watch Dr. Usha Rajagopal treat a patient with Spider Veins

Causes of Face Veins

There are multiple factors that can lead to visible veins in the face. One is genetics: if your parents had them, then you are predisposed to developing them as well. Hormonal changes in your body—whether you’re going through puberty, pregnancy, or menopause, taking birth control pills, or undergoing post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy—can also cause visible veins to develop.

Other causes of spider veins on the face include obesity, skin-related traumas or injuries, sun exposure, and prior vein surgery.

While visible facial veins are usually classified as a cosmetic issue, they can also be linked with rosacea, liver disease, and (in rare cases) autoimmune disease.

Treating Facial Veins

The easiest, quickest, and most effective way to get rid of facial veins is with laser treatment. The Vbeam laser used by Dr. Rajagopal utilizes cutting edge technology to focus pulses of light on the pigment of the blood within veins on the face and heats them up, destroying them without damaging the surrounding tissue. Eventually, after about four to six weeks, your body reabsorbs the veins and they disappear. Unlike sclerotherapy and vein stripping, laser treatment does not require any insertion of needles of catheters, which means that it is generally less invasive.

What to Expect with Laser Treatment

This kind of treatment is usually performed every four to eight weeks until satisfactory results are achieved.[9] Several treatments may be required to completely remove your facial veins, but the number depends on how many you have, and how large or small they are. The sessions themselves can be as brief as a few minutes, or as long as an hour or more—again, this is dependent upon the number and size of the veins in your face that you wish to treat.

You may experience some moderate discomfort during the procedure—patients often report a mild burning or tingling sensation—but treatment is not painful, and is minimally invasive.

After Treatment

Because the laser Dr. Rajagopal utilizes for facial vein treatments is calibrated to target your veins so specifically, side effects from this procedure are minimal. Occasionally some discoloration and in some cases, moderate blistering, can occur. Discoloration is especially a concern for individuals with dark complexions—for this reason, laser treatment is not recommended if you have a dark skin tone. You may also develop temporary purpura after the procedure, which is light bruising caused by the laser. Purpura usually goes away within a couple of days, though it can take up to seven days to fully disappear. The risk for scarring from laser treatment is low.

If red veins in your face are making you feel embarrassed or self-conscious about your appearance, laser treatment may be exactly what you’ve been waiting for. Safe, effective, and non-invasive, this procedure can change more than just your appearance—it can change your attitude, not just toward yourself, but also toward the world around you.

If you have any questions regarding facial vein laser treatment or wish to schedule a consultation with Usha Rajagopal, MD in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, please call the San Francisco Plastic Surgery Laser Center at 415-392-3333.