Question:
I am 44 years old and about 10 years ago developed spider veins on my cheeks, at the time I was bicycling everywhere in all weathers, thats what I blamed the veins on. I drive now but my spider veins appear to be getting worse since using oil of ulay moisturiser. I don't think this particular moisturiser is to blame. I am feeling very depressed about it and feel it ages me. Is there anyway I can't get rid of them or does anyone know what might be causing them?. I have tried covering them up using that green foundation stuff but I don't think it helped much.

Answer: As one ages it is common to see small red blood vessels in the facial skin especially in lighter complexioned individuals. One of the least invasive means of treating these is the flashlamp pumped pulsed dye laser. The beam is absorbed by the red blood contained in small arteries close to the skin surface. These small blood vessels instantly clot off & then resorb. Due to the nature of blood flow seeking the path of least resistance more than 1 laser treatment or future maintenance treatments may be required. This laser causes little or no skin surface damage & has a very rapid recovery time. The vessels can also be injected using a sclerosing solution but this should not be done around the eyes.