Thank you for your question about spider veins and broken blood vessels. It is very common to have smaller spider veins and broken blood vessels left behind after Sclerotherapy and that is when IPL or Intense Pulsed Light, and Laser treatment of spider veins and leg veins can be most helpful.

In fact, we often use sclerotherapy on the larger spider veins and leg veins before we use IPL for spider veins or Laser to “clean up” the smaller spider veins and leg veins and broken blood vessels that are left behind. Results of IPL treatment of spider veins can be excellent and provide beautiful vein removal results as seen in the before and after picture of IPL spider vein removal below:

Before and after picture of IPL spider vein leg vein removal

IPL is a newer treatment for spider veins, leg veins and broken blood vessels and has many advantages over laser therapy. The IPL is a less intense form of light therapy and IPL leg vein treatments tend to cause less discomfort than many laser treatments. IPL treatment of spider veins and leg veins does not cause bruising as does the Pulsed Dye Laser, thus there is less visible down time after IPL treatment. In my experience there is also less risk of skin injury that can result is white marks where the vein has been removed after healing.

IPL works best on spider veins and leg veins that are 4 millimeters or less. Larger veins often require treatment with the 1064 laser. Veins that are even larger require Sclerotherapy first before IPL and or laser treatment.

How Long Does IPL Removal of Spider Veins and Leg Veins Take?

The average IPL spider vein removal takes about 30 minutes. However it depends on how many veins need to be removed. You will need three treatments scheduled 4-6 weeks apart. You will see gradual improvement as the IPL causes the spider veins and leg veins to close down and disappear slowly over 5 weeks. We encourage you to wear compression stockings right after treatment.

How Long is Recovery or Down Time after Removal of Spider Veins?

Using IPL there is no bruising or noticeable marks. The only down time would be the time you wear support hose after treatment. Smaller spider veins high on the leg frequently do not require wearing the support hose.

What Does IPL Spider Vein Removal Cost?

Average IPL spider vein and leg vein treatments cost between $350-$500 per treatment. The cost is based on the time required for your treatment. Larger areas can be more expensive.

Where Should I Go For IPL or Laser Spider Vein Removal?

The most experienced and best trained providers of IPL and laser therapies are board certified plastic surgeons and dermatologists. Not all of these physicians offer IPL and laser treatments so you will have to search the internet and find board certified doctors who do these treatments.

For more information on spider vein, leg vein and broken blood vessel removal with IPL call 978-369-4499 or email me. Read our free newsletter to keep up on the latest non-surgical and laser face and body rejuvenation techniques. Read Save Your Face to learn how to prevent facial aging.

Dr. Seckel
Boston, Massachusetts
Concord, Massachusetts

Thank you for your email about dark circles under eyes. You are very perceptive, as most people do not recognize how often small blood vessels can cause dark circles under eyes.

If you see small red and purple blood vessels on the lower eyelid and the skin has a blue or purple color then blood vessels may be the cause of your dark circles under eyes. Dark circles under the eyes effects millions of people. Many people have the arcus deformity which is a hollow depression under the eye. The arcus deformity requires laser surgery for removal. Many have eye bags or puffy eyes which create a deep dark circle under the eyes. Some people have brown pigment or sun damage on the lower eyelids which causes a dark circle look. In my experience, most patients who complain of dark circles under the eyes have broken blood vessels and a dark blue or purple color on the skin under the eyes.

The different causes of dark circles under eyes are each unique and each requires a very different treatment method. Broken blood vessels and small veins that cause dark circles under the eyes are best treated with intense pulsed light treatments. Dark circles caused by the arcus deformity require surgical release of the arcus marginalis. Excess pigment causing dark circles requires laser treatment.

We inherit the color and characteristics of ourr lower eyelid skin from our parents. Dark circles often appear during childhood, many people tell me they first noticed dark circles when they were 9 or 10 years old. Since you apparently have broken blood vessels causing your dark circles I am going to add some information from an Ezine Article that I wrote about broken blood vessels as a cause of dark circles under the eyes. Broken blood vessels are the easiest cause of dark circles under eyes to treat and correct.

How Broken Blood Vessels Cause Dark Circles under Eyes?

Actually what most people call broken blood vessels are not really broken blood vessels. What most people see are visible blood vessels on the skin in areas that they do not expect to see blood vessels. These small vessels are arterioles, venules, and capillaries. Arterioles carry fresh blood to the skin and venules take old blood away from the skin, back to the heart and lungs to be refreshed with oxygen. Capillaries connect the arterioles and venules. Normally blood vessels are deeper in the skin and not visible. Visible or broken blood vessels become noticeable in the following situations:

• Thin Skin- The eyelid skin is the thinnest skin in the body. The eyelid skin is only 1/6 the thickness of the skin on the rest of the face. The skin is so thin that you can see through it. You can actually see the small blood vessels in the skin of the eyelid. These same vessels are present in all skin but are not visible in thicker skin elsewhere in the body. The lower eyelid muscle is purple, and this color is visible through the eyelid skin. That is why all lower eyelids have a darker color. This color is what most people refer to as dark circles under the eyes.

• Telangiectasias or Spider Veins- The small bood vessels seen in dark circles under the eyes can be dilated or enlarged a condition called telangiectasia or often referred to as spider veins. The dilated or enlarged vessels can be arterioles or venules. Telangiectasias are most often caused by heredity. However, aging, pregnancy, use of topical steroid cream, excessive exertion such as weight lifting, and Rosacea also can cause telangiectasia

• Aging and Inflammation- Ultraviolet radiation and other skin aging factors produce inflammation or irritation to the skin, especially the thin skin around the eyes. When eyelid skin is inflamed, new blood vessels grow into the skin to repair the damage. These new blood vessels stay in the skin and are visible. The presence of these blood vessels darkens the color of the lower eyelid skin and can appear as dark circles under the eyes.

How To Remove Dark Circles under Eyes Caused by Broken blood Vessels

Lasers can remove broken blood vessels under the eyes, but newer light based treatments are safer and better. The newer technique called Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) or photo facial is a much gentler procedure that is very effective and does not leave marks or white areas under the eye, a major problem with older laser techniques.

• IPL- Photo Facial-Intense pulsed light (IPL) is not a laser. IPL uses a bright flash of visible light which is tuned to be absorbed by the specific color of blood. The light passes through the skin without injuring the skin and is preferentially absorbed by the blood in the small broken blood vessels-venules and arterioles. The light energy causes the blood to boil and the heat causes the blood vessel to shrink and close. The process takes about 6 weeks. Usually 3 IPL treatments scheduled 6 weeks apart are required to remove all of the vessels causing the dark circle under the eye. Eye shields must be placed on the eye to protect the eye from the light. IPL is the best treatment for Rosacea.

• Laser- Two laser wavelengths are specifically absorbed by blood vessels-the 532nm and 1064nm laser wavelengths. The 1064nm laser is usually too strong to be used on the eyelids. The 532nm laser is the one more commonly used to correct dark circles under eyes caused by blood vessels. However, because the laser is so strong, the eyelid skin is often damaged and a scar or white area on the eyelid skin can occur. Since IPL has been developed, the laser is no longer the choice for treating dark circles under eyes. Eye shields must be [placed on the eye to protect the eye from the laser.

• Vein Injections- Very large and noticeable veins on the lower eyelid can be closed by injecting a sclerosing solution that is most commonly used on the lower legs to treat spider veins. This is a very tricky procedure and should only be done by an expert experienced in this technique.

• Fractional laser resurfacing to thicken skin- New fractional laser resurfacing techniques are safe to use on the eyelids with eye protective shield in place. These new fractional laser techniques plump or thicken the lower eyelid skin and can improve dark circles under eyes. Thicker lower eyelid skin helps camouflage the broken blood vessels and Telangiectasias.

Prevention of Dark Circles under Eyes caused by Broken Blood Vessels

Inherited dark circles under eyes cannot be prevented. However there are things we can do to prevent new blood vessels from forming and making the dark circles worse. Since Ultraviolet radiation from the sun causes inflammation and new blood vessel growth, sun protection is the most important.

• Sun block- Always make sure that you apply sun block to the eyelids when you apply sun block to your face.

• Eye protection-Always wear protective sunglasses that cover the crow’s feet areas as well as the eyes.

• Anti-inflammatory-Medical grade topical Vitamin C Serum is a powerful anti-inflammatory medication. Its use on the face and eyelids can help reduce inflammation which leads to new growth of blood vessels and Telangiectasias on the facial and eyelid skin.

If you are bothered by dark circles under eyes and can see many small blood vessels on the lower eyelid skin, IPL may be the answer you are looking for.

For more information on dark circles under eyes call 978-369-4499 or email us. Read our free newsletter to learn about new non-surgical rejuvenation techniques. Read Save Your Face to learn how to prevent facial aging.

Dr. Seckel
Concord, Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts

Thank you for your question. Broken blood vessels are very common around the nose and cheeks and are a sign of skin aging. They are caused most commonly by inflammation from UV radiation from the sun-years of sun exposure-especially in thin skinned people.

The sun injures the skin which causes inflammation. When the skin is inflamed new blood vessels form, those left behind after the inflammation is healed are seen as broken blood vessels-technically called Telangiectasia. Brown spots are also a sign of inflammation and they tend to occur in sun exposed areas. During inflammation pigment is produced and a brown spot created-called post inflammatory hyper pigmentation.

IPL-Intense Pulsed Light, also called photo facial is the best treatment for broken blood vessels and brown spots. Results can be dramatic.

There are excellent laser wrinkle removal techniques available including lasers, Retin A, and microdermabrasion treatments. Significant improvement in facial wrinkles is possible but expertise is needed. Don’t be taken in by the fabulous wrinkle creams offered on the net and TV-most do not remove wrinkles.

Nose to mouth lines, jowls, and general facial aging can be improved nicely with the new Liquid Face Lift. This remarkable technique using soft tissue fillers can actually plump the cheeks, restore facial volume and lessen the nasal labial folds and marionette lines.

Botox™ is also an effective method for removing wrinkles around the lips, crow’s feet, frown lines and worry lines. Botox™ not only removes wrinkles it also prevents new ones from forming.

Sign up for our free newsletter to learn about new anti-aging skin care discoveries as they happen. Read Save Your Face for a detailed discussion of non-surgical facial rejuvenation. You may contact me by email or 978-369-4499.

Dr Seckel
Concord, Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts

We do have the latest and most effective broken blood vessel, spider vein and leg vein treatments available in our office. We use the Palomar®Lux1064® laser to remove spider veins and leg veins which is different from endovenous laser therapy.

Before and After Lux Green IPL Treatment of Starburst Spider Veins

There have been many other lasers used to treat broken blood vessels, leg veins and spider veins but most have not been able to effectively remove larger spider veins and leg veins and have not been able to treat the deeper communicating veins and thus the spider veins and leg veins tend to come back.

The 1064 laser is the best laser to treat spider veins and leg veins because it is able to remove veins as large as 4 mm in diameter and is able to penetrate deeper beneath the skin surface where the communicating veins reside.

Before and After Leg Vein Treatment with the Lux Green IPL

I have tried all of the 1064 lasers on the market and chose the Palomar®Lux1064® laser because in my hands it worked the best. The Lux1064® effectively removes spider veins and leg veins and larger red vessels on the face. More importantly the Palomar®Lux1064® is much les painful than the other 1064 lasers I tried. I believe the unique pulse characteristic of the Palomar®Lux1064® delivers the laser energy in a way that causes much less discomfort than the others I tried.

Laser removal of spider veins and leg veins is effective for veins with a diameter of 4 mm or less. Larger and starburst leg veins may require sclerotherapy which is an injection technique. With sclerotherapy a solution of hypertonic saline is injected into the larger veins to close them. Afterwards the 1064 laser is used to “clean up” the smaller veins left behind.

Larger leg veins that are actually bulging out from the skin are called varicose veins. Varicose veins have traditionally been removed by surgery requiring an incision. However new endovenous laser therapy can remove larger leg veins without surgery by placing a laser catheter inside the vein and closing the varicose vein with endovenous laser energy.Endovenous laser therapy is a revolutionary and very exciting new treatment for varicose veins.

If you would like to learn more about the laser removal of leg veins, spider veins, and starburst veins please contact me. Be sure to sign up for my free email newsletter to keep up with new developments. For more information on prevention of aging and the new laser technology read Save Your Face.

Thank you,

Dr. Seckel

978-369-4499

Concord, Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts

The IPL also called Photo-facial is an excellent method for removing small blood vessels on the face. However the IPL or Photo-facial cannot tighten skin and correct the nasal labial fold and jowls. The most definitive procedure to tighten facial skin and correct the nasal labial fold and jowls is the face lift (See Photo Below).

There are non surgical medical aesthetics procedures which can tighten skin and camouflage the nasal labial fold and marionette lines, but they do not produce the dramatic results that you see in the above face lift picture.

Soft tissue fillers like Juvederm®, Restylane® and Radiesse® can produce very pleasing results (See Photos Below) However the fillers do not tighten skin and they are not permanent, but need to be repeated.

Above, filler injection into nasal labial folds, below filler injection into upper lip.

Skin tightening machines like LuxIR®, Thermage®, Titan®, Refirme®, and Aluma®, can tighten skin but achieve only about 20-30% of the tightening that a face lift achieves (See Photo Below courtesy Palomar and Dr. K. Rothaus).

For more information on facial rejuvenation, medical aesthetics, and plastic surgery read Save Your Face or contact me.

Be sure to sign up for my free email newsletter.

Thank you for your question.

Dr. Seckel

978-369-4499

Concord, Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts

Small red spots or blood vessels on the face are called Telangiectasia. They may appear on the face of people with very fair skin at an early age.

However most commonly they appear as “broken blood vessels” after many years of sun exposure. The UV rays of the sun injure the skin and cause inflammation. When inflammation occurs the skin responds by forming new blood vessels to remove damage caused by the sun.

These blood vessels stay on the skin after the inflammation has occurred and are seen as red spots, telangiectasia or broken blood vessels.

Sun block is the most effective and important way to prevent these “broken blood vessels” from occurring.

For people with sensitive skin and a tendency toward Rosacea a topical cream called Proheal Serum made by IS, Innovative Skin Care, can help.

IPL or Photofacial light treatments can remove the red spots or telangiectasia.

Be sure to sign up for my new free email newsletter.

For more information on broken blood vessels and IPL read Save Your Face or contact me.

Thank you,

Dr Seckel

Concord, Massachusetts

Boston, massachusetts
978-369-4499

Thank you for your email. Broken blood vessels are often the very first sign of facial aging and are caused by the inflammation of the facial skin from the UV rays of the sun. Prevention of broken blood vessels with sun block, sun avoidance, and a topical vitamin C cream is important.

Laser treatments and IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) treatments called photo facial treatments are very effective for removing broken blood vessels on the face. Treatments are quick, simple, with minimal discomfort and down time.

The eyelid hooding and bags and dark circles under the eyes you mention require surgery for correction. Modern plastic surgery called laser blepharoplasty can restore a remarkably youthful look to your eyes. These eyelid aging changes are often the first sign of facial aging to occur after you see the broken blood vessels and pigment on your face.

The skin laxity on your neck, beneath your chin is also an early facial aging change. This can be corrected with new facial lifting techniques and your youthful neck and jaw line can be restored. The new non-surgical laser, radiofrequency, and infrared machine for skin tightening can tighten the neck skin but only by about 20-30%. These machines will improve, but at present most patients who have had non-surgical skin tightening wish they had had a better result. The non-surgical skin tightening lasers are not as effective as the lasers for removal of broken blood vessels.

The broken blood vessels you see are a warning sign of inflammation of your facial skin and that facial skin aging is occurring. It is time to take the preventative steps I mentioned in the first paragraph. Effective non-surgical laser and IPL technology will remove the broken blood vessels but prevention is most important.

I discuss prevention of facial aging in my book Save Your Face which you should read. If you would like to learn more about modern methods for correcting facial aging, eyelid rejuvenation, and facial rejuvenation check my website. I practice in the Boston area and would be happy to see you.

For questions please contact me. Also sign up for my free monthly newsletter.

Sincerely,

Dr Seckel

Concord, Massachusetts

I can advise you better if you email me a confidential photo of your
face lift result-I will not publish it.

The Phenol Skin Peel thinned your skin and as a result the blood vessels now
show through-also the skin peel inflames the skin and skin inflammation causes more blood vessels to grow in the skin–as the inflammation subsides the redness will diminish.

Photo facial refers to IPL-Intense Pulsed Light. IPL can remove the vessels but there are very different machines available–I believe the safest one, the I use is the LuxGreen IPL made by Palomar Medical.

Most important is the experience and skill of the person doing the Photo Facial treatment–the operator must use the machine properly or the skin could be burned.

A safer treatment for rosacea, enlarged pores, and broken blood vessels would be LaserGenesis a laser skin rejuvenation machine made by Cutera–there is no skin contact and the treatments are mild-but LaserGenesis does close blood vessels, reduce redness and shrink pores-this might be your best option.

Visit the company websites to learn more:

http://www.cutera.com/application.asp?view=10001

http://www.palomarmedical.com/palomar.aspx?pgID=88

The IPL costs $450 a treatment-usually 4-5 is required, the lasergenesis costs $200-you would need 5-6 treatments

Thank you for your important question.

For more information on IPL, photo facial, and non-surgical facial rejuvenation read Save Your Face or contact me.

Dr Seckel

Boston, Massachusetts

IPL, also called photo facial is an excellent and safe non-surgical facial rejuvenation treatment for broken blood vessels. I use the Palomar Starlux lux green IPL, but there are many other IPL or photo facial machines. In England I believe they have the Omnilux which is also good but is different from th IPL. Prevention is best achieved with sun block and topical Vitamin C cream.

For more information on blood vessels, lasers and IPL and photo facial and non-surgical facial rejuvenation visit my Boston Clinical Website, read Save Your Face or contact me.

Dr Seckel

Boston, Massachusetts

The area you see is probably caused by broken capillaries or broken blood vessels-if it is then IPL or photo facial treatment or a 1064 yag laser treatmentshould correct it. If it is pigment left behind by a bruise, then a laser or IPL or Photo facial would work.

For more information on broken blood vessels, capillaries and non-surgical facial rejuvenation read Save Your Face or contact me.

Dr Seckel

Boston, Massachusetts