Truth and Myths about broken capillaries. How to remove red spider veins?

Are broken capillaries a bind for you too? Today, I would like to bring you closer to this problem and share useful tips concerning ways of taking care of capillary skin. I’ll also tell you a little bit about the popular myths connected with this beauty issue. Enjoy! 🙂

BROKEN CAPILLARIES

My Dearest, owning to this entry, you will learn everything you should know about taking care of broken capillaries. Before starting the war, let’s know the enemy better!

Skin featuring broken blood vessels condition has its official name, and that is capillary skin. It’s characteristic features are mostly delicacy and suitability to irritations. Moreover, this type of skin is definitely thinner and more delicate, and the capillaries are situated shallowly right underneath the skin so we can see them easily. It’s worth realizing that capillary skin will feature spider veins if overexposed to mismatching care and constant, uncontrolled dilation of blood vessels. What’s interesting, capillary skin is not the problem of women only because this ailment affects men at any age, as well.

Spider veins developing on legs (but not only there) also have their medical term: telangiectasias. These are enlarged and fine blood vessels which break and branch off right underneath the skin in a way that resembles a spider web. Frequently they are blue-ish or red. They can’t be palpated. They can appear as a single broken capillary or as an agglomeration spreading and occupying a considerable space. Where do spider veins come from? Why does capillary break?

The most common cause of broken capillaries are:

ageing – with age blood capillaries get weaker;
cardiovascular system ailments;
hormonal changes, for example, during pregnancy/menopause;
obesity – limbs are overburdened;
lack of physical activity (also crossing legs);
overexposure to the sun and lack of UV protection.

It’s worth being aware of what causes broken capillaries. Thanks to this, we can focus on the source of the problem, treatment becomes more effective as it is easier to prevent spider veins from occurring.

Myth No. 1. Capillaries always break during pregnancy period

There’s no other such a big nonsense than this conviction most people share. Honestly, I have no idea where this popular belief about only pregnant women being affected with this ailment comes from. Indeed, researches confirmed that pregnant women are more prone to the appearance of spider veins, which is the consequence of the excess of oestrogen that always is connected with dilated blood vessels. However, not every pregnant woman has problems with broken capillaries! Also, this isn’t the problem occurring only during the pregnancy period.

Myth No. 2. Red spider veins appearance is encouraged by physical activity

Some still believe that capillaries break as a result of intense physical activity. Probably this conviction is based on the fact that movement stimulates blood flow and enlarges blood vessels. However, physical activity doesn’t have any direct impact on capillaries getting broken. Way worse impact on our blood system have alcohol consumption, sauna or taking hot baths.

Myth No. 3. If we are predisposed genetically (genetic susceptibility), we won’t prevent red spider veins

Unfortunately, dilated blood vessels are a problem that we might be born with. Luckily, it doesn’t mean that if our mum or grandma had red spider veins, there is 100% possibility that we will have them too. Proper care is the way to prevent blood vessels from uncontrolled enlarging. Moreover, if we refrain from smoking cigarettes, drinking strong coffee and alcohol as well as consuming hot spices, we can significantly decrease the risk of this problem development. Also, if we are aware of our genetic susceptibility to red spider veins, it would be better if you limited sunbathing (or keep applying strong sunscreens).

Myth No. 4. Broken capillaries is only an aesthetic problem

Many people decide to remove broken capillaries due to laser treatments only because they find red spider veins blemishing. Indeed, such skin imperfection doesn’t add charm to our appearance. Let me remind you though, broken capillaries don’t only affect our look. When enlarged and broken, blood vessels frequently contribute to varicose veins. And this is the very reason why we should do our best to cure broken capillaries!

HOW TO PREVENT BROKEN CAPPILARIES?

There are plenty of methods to cope with this condition, fortunately. The most important though is prophylaxis because it’s easier to prevent something than cure it. In general, capillary skin type requires being exposed to special care. Therefore, before reaching for specialistic creams and treatments, I suggest you to introduce a few simple rules into your lifestyle to follow. Thanks to them, you will minimise the risk of developing unsightly red spider veins.

Protect your skin from the sun, wind and frost using appropriate creams.
Take warm but not hot baths.
Don’t wash your face with chlorinated water, instead use thermal spring water.
Don’t apply mechanic peelings. Instead, go for enzymatic peelings.
Don’t use face toners including alcohols.

The best cosmetics to treat capillary skin

In my opinion, capillary skin type requires being treated with special cosmetics. I reach for creams designed especially for this skin type. A good face cream helping you stay away from broken blood vessels should feature chestnut extract (eliminates redness), arnica extract and Ginkgo biloba extract (helps contracting walls of blood vessels). These are the very ingredients worth being looked for while choosing a face cream for capillary skin. On the other hand, you should avoid products containing AHA acid, retinol and alcohols – they can enlarge blood vessels and unnecessarily stimulate blood flow.

Caution! Even the best cosmetics designed for treating capillary skin aren’t able to remove the blemishes. Instead, they reinforce blood vessels and prevent spider veins. However, if your skin happens to feature a few broken capillaries, such cosmetic won’t do much about them. The only way for dealing with the problem is undergoing a special medical treatment.

How to remove broken capillaries?

One of the most effective solutions is sclerotherapy, which is simply a treatment approved for removing red spider veins. It depends on injecting special substances into the blood vessels. In short, the substances are responsible for cicatrizing walls of blood vessels. The second option is use of pulsed dye laser treatment, thanks to which it is possible to destroy broken capillaries and let them get absorbed by an organism. Currently, both methods are combined to produce the best effects. However, I’d rather not expressing my thoughts about these procedures simply because I have undergone neither. Also, I’m not a physician.

How do you cope with capillary skin?