So you’ve got broken blood vessels on your face. Don’t beat yourself up. Broken capillaries in the face happen. It may feel like the end of the world, but it’s not. It’s an inconvenience.
Unfortunately, once a broken blood vessel appears on your face, there’s no way you can get rid of it without undergoing vein treatment. But there are ways that you can hide them. There are ways that you can eliminate them with professional help. And there are ways that you can prevent broken blood vessels in the first place. So let’s get to it!
What Are Spider Veins?
Spider veins, broken capillaries, broken blood vessels are all names for the same phenomena: enlarged blood vessels just beneath the skin’s surface. These broken vessels on your face look like red marks that can be in the shape of a spider web, branch-like pattern, or pinpricks.
Broken capillaries are caused by three things: skin trauma, excessive dilation of the blood vessels, and heredity. Let’s look at them in turn.
1 Why skin traumas cause broken capillaries is pretty self-explanatory. Examples of skin traumas that can cause broken blood vessels in the face include:
- squeezing a pimple
- microdermabrasion
- sneezing
2 When blood vessels are frequently dilated, they can lose their ability to contract, which means that they will stay enlarged and become more and more visible. Causes of excessive dilation of the blood vessels include:
- hot showers
- cold, wintery air
- spicy foods
- drinking alcohol
- exercising
3 Genetics plays a significant role in how susceptible you are to broken blood vessels on your face. If your parents have them, then you will likely have them, too, at some point. People with skin conditions like sensitive skin, acne, or rosacea are at a higher risk of getting these broken facial blood vessels.
How to Disguise Broken Blood Vessels on the Face
Over-the-counter products like rosehip oil can help minimize redness. Specialty prescription skincare products that have anti-inflammatory properties can also reduce redness.
If you want to do more than just minimize redness, you can take a multi-tiered approach by
- using anti-inflammatory skincare products
- applying a tinted moisturizer
- dabbing a moistened green over the area (use a yellow or peach concealer if your spider veins are green or purple tones)
- applying foundation and powder
Some people need to cover all of their bases with this approach, while others can pick and choose. Experiment and see what combo works best for you.
How to Get Rid of Broken Blood Vessels in the Face
If you want to get rid of those pesky vessels for good, however, you’ll need to invest in a medical treatment like sclerotherapy or laser treatment.
Sclerotherapy is a quick, painless treatment in which your practitioner injects a solution into the broken blood vessel. This causes the vein to close off the blood flow. Once the blood flow ceases, the vessel collapses and is absorbed by the body.
Laser treatments are non-invasive technologies that use long-wave light energy to eliminate spider veins and broken blood vessels. Pulses of light energy cause the blood to clot. This eventually destroys the vein. Once the vein is destroyed, it’s absorbed by the body, and blood routes itself through other veins.
It usually takes about 4-6 weeks for the broken blood vessels to fade away for good.
9 Ways to Prevent Broken Blood Vessels in the Face
Now that you’ve addressed the broken blood vessels that have already formed on your face, it’s time to prevent them from coming back or new ones from forming. Here are nine ways that you can prevent broken vessels in the face.
1 Refrigerate your products
Not only does refrigerating products like cleanser, moisturizer, and toner preserve and prolong their life, but chilling them also has great benefits for your skin. Refrigerating products can help calm and constrict your blood vessels. Applying them will feel refreshing and soothing. Cool products can also help protect you from breaking more facial blood vessels.
2 Use products with anti-inflammatory ingredients
Since inflammation or aggravation to your skin can cause broken blood vessels, it’s important that you choose cleansing, moisturizing, and cosmetic products that contain anti-inflammatory ingredients. Choosing skincare products formulated to keep skin calm and counteract redness can prevent broken blood vessels in the face and diminish their appearance. Avoid any skincare products that cause irritation.
3 Wash your face with cold water
The warmer the water, the higher the risk your skin can become damaged. Hot water on your face speeds up blood flow and dilates capillaries, which increases redness in the skin. Avoid blasts of hot shower steam and wash your face with cool or tepid water.
4 Only use gentle exfoliants
Do not treat your skin like it’s a greasy, grimy pot or pan that needs an uber-scrubbing to get clean! Gritty exfoliators usually do more harm than good on your skin. Instead, use a gentle exfoliator containing gentle acids to dissolve dead skin cells, oils, and gunk from your pores.
5 Wear sunscreen
UV exposure weakens capillary walls, so wearing a good sunscreen can help prevent the development of broken blood vessels in the face. Make slathering on a gentle sunscreen every morning part of your ritual, and make sure to reapply if you’re in the sun.
6 Apply Vitamin C serum
Incorporating a Vitamin C serum into your routine could be very beneficial if you’re worried about broken or dilated blood vessels. Vitamin C serums are great for strengthening capillaries and soothing redness. High-quality Vitamin C serum formulations also keep capillaries strong, build collagen, fade brown spots, and even out discoloration.
7 Don’t pop or pick your own pimples
This is to avoid trauma. You can break blood vessels by squeezing too aggressively.
8 Prep your aesthetician
If you can’t pop your pimples, then who can? An experienced esthetician. Facials can be a great way to clean your pores and prevent broken capillaries. But, if you’re prone to side veins, broken capillaries, or have sensitive skin, then make sure to tell your esthetician before they start your skin treatment.
This will help them know what products to avoid, what products to use, and when to extract or not extract. You’ll want to avoid harsh treatments like micro-dermabrasion and steer towards soothing therapies that reduce redness and protect from environmental stressors.
9 Avoid consuming alcohol
If you’ve ever known a heavy drinker, you may have noticed that they have some broken capillaries, usually around their nose. This is because drinking too much alcohol alters your body’s vascular control and causes enlarged blood vessels. And we know what that means – broken capillaries and a red or flushed face.
If you have a tendency towards spider veins, it’s a good idea to avoid alcohol altogether if you want to minimize the risk of broken blood vessels on your face.
Are You Ready to Take Action and Stop Feeling Bad About Broken Facial Blood Vessels?
We want you to be able to step outside with confidence and get your life back. Contact us for an appointment today!