Fifty years ago, there was very little we could do about most cosmetic imperfections. Children wore port-wine stains and birthmarks on their skin their entire lives and men and women alike have always suffered from cosmetic abnormalities that range from the mildly irritating to the full-blown debilitating. Nowadays, of course, things are very different and the one technology that has made the biggest difference to non-invasive treatments is the not-so-humble laser.
You don’t need to read far back through this blog to discover the impact that cosmetic lasers have made to my life, I have a greater sense of self-worth now that I’ve achieved and am maintaining a worthwhile reduction in hair growth, perhaps a shallow sentiment but it’s easy to underestimate the devastating effects that cosmetic flaws can have on our self-esteem and confidence.
I headed back to my local Sk:n Clinic one morning in November to see what could be done about a skin imperfection that I’d noticed had gotten worse since giving birth to my daughter in 2009. It’s a ‘condition’ that affects many women (and men) around the world and is particularly prominent among those of us with a classic Celtic complexion. I’m talking about thread veins.
Thread veins, spider veins, broken veins — whatever you want to call them — come under many guises but these delicate blood vessels are generally harmless little blighters that may be clearly visible across the thinner areas of skin. In my case, it was the tip of my nose that suffered a permanent red (purple in cold weather) flush. Making me look not unlike a total lush. The photo below shows my skin on the day of my consultation, it’s freshly washed and moisturised so a little more ‘stimulated’ (read: irritated) than it would be later in the day.
The majority of my thread veins are minor and conceal well with a good application of a medium-coverage foundation. The one on the tip of my nose however, has slowly become more resistant to concealer. I’m prone to redness and see it as part and parcel of who I am but when faced with the opportunity to correct the imperfections genetics has dumped on us, why not?
My consultation was enlightening, I discovered more about the causes behind these little red road maps that traverse my face just under the surface of my skin. I couldn’t resist asking if squeezing spots too recklessly as a teen (ok, older) may have contributed to their irritation. The nurse at Sk:n said that whilst it may have been a contributing factor (as with any physical skin damage), the biggest likelihood pointed at simple genetic inheritance. Thanks Mum!
The procedure itself was painless. Not ‘uncomfortable’ just completely painless. For some reason, I assumed that due to the particularly bony location I might have felt a reasonable amount of discomfort. Nothing, nada. Does not even compare to laser hair removal (which I find pretty ‘uncomfortable’).
The biggest caveat the nurse at Sk:n warned me about was the likelihood of bruising. And er… I’m glad she did, as the photos will demonstrate.
No, ok I really do look stupid. There is no concealer in the world…
Scabby McScaberson. DON’T PICK THE SCABS!
Halle-frickin-llujah, it fell off. Followed by: “Is this dent ever going to go away?”
“Oh, thank God for that”. OOOOOooooohhhh where’s it gone?!
16 days people. From start to finish.
A couple of laser bolts (not the technical term) fired at the tip of my nose, lots of giggles and comments about not needing “Rudolph” this Christmas and a fortnight later and cheerio biggest thread vein conurbation. I’m really pleased to be able to show you something so tangible, often with all this beauty stuff results can be subjective and OK, it’s not the most groundbreaking cosmetic procedure in the world but it makes all the difference when a red nose isn’t the first flaw your critical mind picks up on when you look in the mirror. (I’ve moved on to something else, of course!)
The cost of this procedure? £99 for a single, very minor treatment. That’s all it took to shift mine and over a month later, it hasn’t returned.
I hope this helps to give an accurate timeline and a little background information into what you can expect if you decide to go for laser thread vein removal.
In the words of The Fast Show’s Mancunian teenage, “Aren’t lasers BRILLIANT!?!”
You can read more about the facial thread vein removal services offered by Sk:n Clinic by clicking through to their website.
* complimentary treatment courtesy of Sk:n Clinic
Well thats amazing. I have quite a lot I’d like to be rid of but only one on my face. I don’t think I could bear the scab/bruise on my nose and as a horrific picker it’s possible I’d end up looking worse at the end, scarred. I would however, consider trying this on the ones on my chest which are easy to cover up while they heal. Hmm, thanks for this, its extremely helpful.
As a fellow… eh, ‘sufferer’ of this bad habit, I’ve found out that 1. keeping the scab VERY well moisturized at all times, and 2. ideally, covering it up with a band aid, helps a lot to keep the urge under control. And even if I succumb to temptation, if it never gets dry, the risk of a big scab = reopened sore = scarring, is a lot less. Putting a band aid in the middle of your face both keeps the moisturizer staying put, and is a reminder to leave shit be when hands wander. I think it’s approximately the same people do to handle toddlers with chicken pox, but if the shoe fits…
Fabulous! I never knew you had these – your makeup is so perfect! Well done!
That really is remarkable, I have a friend who has this treatment for thread veins on her face and she is chuffed to bits with how well it works, although she hadn’t mentioned the bruising etc. Laughing with you not at you, but your expression in pic 3 is fab, how pissed off do you look!
The difference between the before and after is remarkable. I don’t have any problems with veins yet, but my mum has them on her legs something shocking. She’s always complained about them but never had anything done. x
Amazing results. As a lifelong wearer of a large Nevus birthmark on my wrist I have been considering for several years whether or not to give laser treatment a try, everything else I have tried has not been successful, I think I may need to explore this option in depth. Jude xx @jadlgw
You really were brave to have it done, I mean to accept the bruise and scar. I also had laser done on my face for brown spots and thread veins on my nose but my experience was different. It was unconfortable while done, but the thread veins disappeared almost immediately with no bruise and no scar at all. The nurse told me that at first they could become darker in colour and then disappear but in my case they just disappeared. I am talking about the veins. So I think a different type of laser may work better.
Hi Ozana,
Just to clarify, I don’t have any scarring from this procedure. There was a slight dent where the biggest scab was located but absolutely nothing remains now (thankfully). Curious about the different lasers though! I don’t suppose you remember what yours was called?
Sorry, I meant no scab at all. I think the name is Fraxel, but do not know which one as there are several types I think. It was more expensive though but I also had the brown spots done.
Wowzers. I have an uh…Celtic complexion too, except I have thread veins on my nose and cheeks. Rather than being an English Rose, I have a face like a freshly slapped arse. I also have an annoying brown mark on my face near my jaw which looks like some kinda cooties and I don’t want it there any more. Do I immediately have a few hundred quid to lay down on laser removal? (my area is at least 3 times yours was, if not greater. Nope. But if I had to wear less foundation because my face doesn’t look like I’ve stood too close to a blast furnace, I think it’d be worth the investment. x
Really amazing results. £99 is a brilliant deal for something that really helps with appearance in such a dramatic way. The wonderful world of technology !
Amazing results! I’ve gotten 2 IPL treatments to combat my post-pregnancy melasma. Like Leah, it was worse near my jawline making it look like I missed the lower half when I washed my face. It’s significantly better now, but probably need one or two more to finish the job. With IPL, there’s one wavelength to treat the brown spots and a different one to treat the red. My aesthetician was super nice and performed the red one at no charge the last time and that really helped to fade old acne scarring.
That’s interesting about the two different wavelengths. I will definitely look into having this done once I’ve saved up some pennies, so thanks for that!
Wow, the effect is amazing! Has anyone tried the facial spider veins cream by Dr Bremenn? I think its for the same kind of thing?
The results are fantastic. Did it hurt? As I’m seriously considering having this done
Hi Tracey, I described the pain above – it’s really nothing… didn’t even feel discomfort for a moment. Bruise was a bit tender if pressed though!
Wow, that’s amazing! I’ve had spider veins on my legs for a good few years now, but recently I’ve noticed a tiny one starting on my face 🙁 I’m definitely keeping the sk:n clinic in mind for when they get bigger!
Great post, and thank you for posting the pics!! I’m going to ask my dermatologist about this on my next visit.
I just had this done as well…I originally went to the dermatologist after I discovered a red spot on my nose which turned out to be a busted capillary, and while I was there the doctor recommended I get laser treatments to get rid of them which he said would take 5-10 minutes and would result in “minimal redness or swelling over the next 48 hours and a possibility of bruising but it is extremely uncommon”. I decided to do it on the spot so I really didn’t have time to research the side effects on the net.
Anyways, I ended up getting the same type of bruising you had on your nose on mine as well…and on the sides of my nostrils…and under my eyes. It looked so bad…everyone was asking me if I had been in a fight or if I was sick…and of course I had this done on a monday so I had to walk around looking like this all week.
Well the good news is that the bruising has gone down considerably over the past 5 days and it looks like it will probably be 80% gone by monday and I’m looking forward to seeing what the end result would be.
Apparently 2 or 3 treatments are sometimes necessary to fully get rid of the red spots they zapped off my face but I cannot go through this again, I’m gonna live with the results of this one treatment so hopefully it did the trick!
Thank you! I had a spot on the end of my nose zapped today- and it looks so ridiculous! I’m so glad I found your post! Imagine the size of a dime- right on the tip of your nose. Bruised to hell right now- your timeline helps me majntain expectations.