Medical Questions » Arteries and Veins Questions » Question No. 77
| Question: | I have broken capillaries all over my nose and face, although I am only 32. This is most distressing to me. Can they be treated by sclerosant injections? is there any other treatment? |
| Answer: | Sclerosant injections are suitable for moderate-sized varicose veins in the legs, but are not suitable for the spider-like superficial blood vessels on the face or other parts of the body.
These disfiguring, surface veins are best dealt with by electrocautery or laser treatment. This will usually involve a referral to a plastic surgeon or dermatologist, but a small number of GPs also do this work.
The procedure is simple, and after a local anaesthetic injection (or sometimes without, particularly with the laser treatment), a fine needle is placed into the offending capillary, and an electric current is passed through it for a few seconds to destroy the blood vessel. The laser burns the vessel through the skin, without an injection. Both methods leave a small white spot scar at the point of burning. |
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