Have you noticed a few blue, purple or red veins while you were washing your face, or maybe a friend pointed them out to you? No matter what caused you or your friend to notice spider veins on your nose, your response after seeing them was likely one of frustration, shock or even embarrassment. Although facial spider veins are typically not dangerous, they can make you feel self-conscious and less confident. Read more to find out the common causes of spider veins on the nose and explore possible treatment options that can help you regain your confidence.
What Causes Facial Spider Veins?
Facial spider veins are broken blood vessels on the face that become dilate and noticeable. Factors contributing to the development of facial spider veins include: sun damage, aging, heredity, injury, reactions to topical irritants, hormonal shifts associated with pregnancy and menopause and overconsumption of alcohol. They can be extremely embarrassing.
Some patients suffer with a common medical condition known as Rosacea. They have fine facial veins most commonly on the cheeks. This condition is exacerbated with reddish blushing when exposed to certain triggers: stress, spicy foods and alcohol among other things. We will reserve a discussion for Rosacea for another article. So be on the look out for sure.
Possible Treatments To Resolve Spider Veins On The Nose
There are treatments available that may be helpful in reducing the appearance of facial spider veins. But first, let’s explore the effectiveness of topical treatments before looking more in-depth at sclerotherapy and laser treatments.
Topical Medications
Although there are over-the-counter products on the market with promising claims about eliminating spider veins, these claims are not supported by science. Topical treatments may simply camouflage spider veins in the short term making them less visible, but these products cannot get under the surface of the skin where the veins develop.
Sclerotherapy For Spider Veins
Sclerotherapy is a minimally invasive treatment for facial spider veins. During the procedure, a solution is injected into the spider vein, causing the vein to collapse. The treated vein is absorbed by your body and fades over time. Your total treatment time is less than an hour and some maintenance treatments may be needed
Laser Treatments To Correct Spider Veins On The Nose
Laser treatments are another method of treating facial spider veins. The blood vessel is treated with targeted laser energy, which causes the targeted vein to become smaller and fade over a period of weeks. Follow up treatments may be needed.