Anti ageing skin SOS: broken capillaries

Get rid of broken capillaries with our selection of the best treatments

Red thread veins on the face are dilated capillaries, which after years of expanding and contracting lose their ability to constrict, leaving anything from a few hairlike threads to extensive patches of redness.

Often they cause embarrassment (the implication being that you're a heavy drinker), but as Vicki Smith, director of Absolute Aesthetics, explains, alcohol doesn't cause them, though it can be a trigger. The main culprits are the sun, your hormones and your genes.

What's the solution?

If you have only a few dilated capillaries, Vicki says Advanced Electrolysis is the treatment of choice. This uses a fine needle probe to coagulate the blood vessel, causing it to break down and fade away (Absolute Aesthetics charges £53 for a 15-minute session).

For larger areas, she recommends Intense Pulsed Light (IPL - £125 a session). An ultrasound jelly is applied to your skin then the IPL device is passed over the area to be treated. Yes, it's uncomfortable, like being flicked with a rubber band, but for most people it's bearable.

It can take a while to treat larger areas, so don't be surprised if an average of six sessions is suggested, with three-week gaps between. If you're predisposed to dilated capillaries, more are likely to appear, though not in the area you've had treated.

Find the perfect treatments for:

Skin SOS: lines and wrinkles

Skin SOS: pigmentation

Skin SOS: enlarged pores

Skin SOS: sagging jawline

Skin SOS: rosacea

Classic anti ageing all-rounders

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