Facial Red Veins - Thermavein®

Medically called telangiectasia but more commonly known as thread veins.  These tiny veins are usually invisible, but for some these veins expand and show through the skin and are known as thread veins or sometimes referred to as spider veins or capillary veins.

There are a number of causes, such as over-exposure to sunlight, pregnancy and menopause, rosacea, acne, excessive alcohol intake and sometimes just genetics.  They are particularly prevalent after mid-life when the skin becomes thinner and loses some of its tightening collagen fibres.

Cosmetically unsightly, thread veins are essentially small blood vessels near the surface of the skin which manifest themselves as tiny, twisted purple lines just under the surface of the skin and it’s been estimated that almost 15 million people – 55% of the UK’s adult population have facial thread veins.

Treatment options

Traditionally, thread vein removal has been carried out by either laser or electrolysis.  These methods can be painful and offer limited success.  They can also result in some scarring and pigmentation around areas treated and sun exposure needs to be avoided for around 4 weeks before and after treatment.

We use a treatment known as ThermaVein®.   This has been heralded by a number of industry experts as the gold standard treatment for facial red veins and the safest and most reliable way to treat thread veins.

ThermaVein® was developed in France and uses an ultra-fine insulated needle which allows for pinpoint accuracy during treatment while protecting the skin and surrounding tissue.  Intense heat is passed down through the needle to each individual vein and causes the wall of the vein to seal and the blood within it to break up or coagulate – this process is known as thermocoagulation.

ThermaVein® can also be used to safely treat milia and small skin tags.

What Happens During Treatment?

Prior to treatment, Kelly will undertake a consultation to ensure you are suitable for treatment and assess the areas of concerns.  There are a few medical contra-indications including epilepsy and clients with pacemakers fitted. Most facial thread veins can be treated. 

The treatment is ‘walk-in, walk-out’ and takes around 10-20 minutes depending on the size of the area to be treated.  The areas to be treated will be gently cleaned first and then a small single-use sterile needle is used with the ThermaVein® machine.   The treatment is relatively painless, most clients describe the feeling of contact with the skin as ‘small pinpricks’.

Post-treatment, one can expect small red marks that become micro-crusts or tiny scratches, they will then disappear completely after two or three days.  Initially, some people may notice that the veins appear darker after treatment, this is a normal part of the healing process and will resolve over a period of up to 6 weeks.  Some facial red veins may require up to 3 treatments to be fully eradicated. 

Once a vein has been eradicated it will not return however other veins may appear.

Aftercare

Following treatment, no makeup should be worn for 12 hours.  No abrasive skin products including AHA/BHA creams should be used until the skin is fully healed.  It is important that any scabs that form are not removed as this may lead to some scarring.  To prevent future recurrence of facial thread veins a high SPF cream should be applied daily and avoid the use of saunas, and sunbeds.