Facial red veins (often called thread veins or broken capillaries) are tiny blood vessels that have become permanently dilated. While they can appear in isolation, they are frequently a symptom of rosacea – a complex inflammatory skin condition where a weakened skin barrier leads to persistent redness and reactivity.
They are usually found on more exposed areas of the skin like the nose, cheeks and chin. During the ageing process, they lose their elasticity and become permanently dilated. This results in the appearance of little blood lines which are usually red, but become darker in colour as they get wider and deeper.
The medical term for all red veins including spider naevi and cherry angiomas is telangiectasia.
Sometimes people may feel embarrassed about this problem which can be hard to conceal without skin camouflage, but also to overcome feelings of embarrassment. Sometimes this is wrongly associated with a ‘drinking problem’.
At Crewe Hair and Skin Clinic, we don’t just treat the “red lines”; we treat the skin health that supports them.
Facial red vein treatment
1. The Virtual First Step (Remote Consultation)
Every successful outcome begins with a conversation. We begin the process with a remote consultation to discuss your concerns, medical history, and goals. This allows us to determine if you are a candidate for treatment before you even step into the clinic.
2. Deep-Dive Diagnostics (In-Clinic Assessment)
Following your remote chat, you will be invited to the clinic for a comprehensive in-person skin analysis.
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Observ Skin Imaging: Advanced Observ technology is used to see beneath the surface. This allows us to visualize vascular activity, inflammation levels, and barrier damage not visible to the naked eye.
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Bespoke Strategy: We provide professional advice on the lifestyle triggers and product ingredients affecting your redness.
3. Skin Care First: The Foundation
We believe in “priming” the skin. Starting a targeted skin care regime before clinical treatment reduces the risk of complications (like pigmentation or poor healing) and significantly increases the success of the procedure. For many, the right skin care alone can drastically reduce the visibility of veins.
Our Professional Treatment Suite
There is a tiered approach to redness, ranging from daily topicals to advanced clinical procedures.
Medical-Grade Skin Care
We curate the world’s leading dermatological ranges to stabilize your skin:
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ZO Skin Health: Featuring specific protocols tailored for Mild, Moderate, or Severe rosacea and redness.
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Senté: Powered by Heparan Sulfate Analog (HSA) to repair the barrier at a cellular level.
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SkinBetter Science & Intradermology: Award-winning formulations designed to calm vascular heat and improve skin resilience.
Advanced Clinical Treatments
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Diathermy/Electrolysis: A precise, targeted “cautery” method to instantly collapse and remove visible thread veins.
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Dermalux LED: Non-invasive light therapy to “cool” the skin, reduce inflammation, and accelerate healing.
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Polynucleotides: The latest in regenerative medicine to thicken the skin and provide better “cushioning” for fragile vessels.
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WOW Facial (Microneedling): A bespoke cocktail of skin-loving ingredients. This can be performed plus or minus Botox (Micro-tox) to specifically target the flushing response associated with rosacea.
The Reality of Results
Consistency is Key. It is important to understand that facial red veins are often a chronic vascular response.
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Repeat Sessions: Most clients will require a course of treatments to achieve full clearance.
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Maintenance: Occasional “top-up” sessions may be needed as the body naturally tries to create new pathways over time.
Electrolysis/Diathermy for facial red veins
Facial red veins (thread veins) are receptive to treatment with electrolysis. This has been an option in the medical field for over 140 years. They are likely to return, so depending on the underlying cause, cosmeceutical skin care can help. Typically when the thread veins are treated with electrolysis the rest of the face can flare up if rosacea is present.
The vessels can be seen to improve at the session, but they can come back. A 60-80% improvement is expected. The maximum recommended time is 15 minutes per area, depending in the reactivity of the skin.
Several sessions may be required.
Everyone is different and the following factors will influence the rate and success of treatment:
- How many facial red veins are present
- How dark and apparent the vessels are
- How far apart they are
- The condition of the skin
- How well the skin heals
- The length of the treatment sessions
- The root cause
- How well aftercare advice is followed.
Restrictions to treating facial red veins with electrolysis/diathermy
This treatment is only suitable for the bright red superficial vessels on the face and decollete.
- It is not suitable for deeper blood vessels of the body.
- It is not suitable on the beard area if the intention is to shave
- Darker skin types because of the risk of developing hyper or hypopigmentation.
- Tanning
- Recent retinols/retin-A as this can exacerbate tissue damage.
- Less than 2 weeks since laser/IPL
- Less than 4 weeks after dermabrasion
Are there any further restrictions/contraindications?
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AIDS/HIV
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Asthma
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Bacterial infections
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Blood thinning medication [e.g. warfarin or aspirin]
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Cancer
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Circulatory disorders
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Dermabrasion [wait a minimum of one month]
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dermographic skin conditions
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Diabetes
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Dysmorphia [body dysmorphic disorder or BDD]
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Emphysema
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Epilepsy
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Heart conditions/circulator disorders
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Hepatitis
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High blood pressure
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Laser treatment [wait a minimum of two weeks]
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Nervous clients
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Phlebitis/thrombosis if in the area to be treated
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Recent scar tissue if in the area to be treated
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Rosacea in the area to be treated
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Skin diseases and disorders
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Sunburn skin if in the area to be treated
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Swelling/Oedema
Preparing for reduction of facial red veins
At this clinic the process begins with a remote consultation, and then a face to face consultation.
The veins can be part of other skin issues. The approach of this clinic is skincare first to support the clinic treatments and get better outcomes.
At the clinic consultation you will have Observ images taken which show up issues not visible to the naked eye. You will be advised on appropriate skincare depending on the cause. Good skincare always supports the results of cosmetic treatments.
Once the red veins have been treated, any pigmentation or scarring that was there before will be more visible. This could lead to the impression that the treatment caused it, when it did not.
The causes of facial red veins are many and varied and can occur across all ages. This will be explored during the consultation. Causes include:
- Ageing – loss of elasticity of small blood vessels
- Excessive alcohol consumption causing the blood vessels to swell
- Allergies – anything that involves wiping or blowing of the nose can lead to localised red veins becoming visible around, and just inside the nostrils e.g. asthma, hay fever, urticaria and eczema
- Birthmarks
- Chemical peels – if the treatment is overly aggressive
- Chemotherapy – thinner and fragile skin allows the red veins to show through
- Childbirth – a form of prolonged straining. Same for heavy lifting and constipation
- Circulatory disorders
- Comedone extraction
- Contraceptive pill
- Diabetes
- Diet – some people may find that spicy food is a trigger
- Exfoliation with harsh products
- Fragile skin
- Genetics
- High Blood Pressure
- Liver disease
- Medications e.g. Steroids, vasodilators,
- Trauma
- Radiation
- Respiratory conditions such as asthma, sinus problems and emphysema.
- Scar tissue from physical trauma, incident, accident and occasionally seen in facelift surgery
- Trauma e.g. from wearing heavy spectacles or glasses.
A test treatment (patch test) can be done at the first in person consultation.
What should I expect in the treatment?
Before the treatment you will need to complete a consent form which you can review before the appointment.
The recommended technique is for a sterile, disposable, single-use Sterex needle held vertically, at a 90 degree angle with minimal current and tapped along the vessel on the skin surface.
The diathermy technique works by heat to coagulate the blood and cauterise the vessel which prevents blood flowing back.
There is no need for anaesthetic as the treatment is superficial; as it is just a tapping motion along the surface of the skin and only touching the skin for a fraction of a second, depending on the size.
The amount of pain felt will vary from person to person, but it is likely to feel like a quick pin prick.
A sizzling noise may be heard during the treatment and there will be occasional punctures to the skin.
As the needle rarely breaks the skin there is next to no down time.
What should I expect after the treatment?
Immediately after the treatment, the skin will normally appear pink/red, warm and possibly swollen.
It is normal for mild to moderate redness and swelling to develop.
It is important to:
- Avoid touching the treated area
- Avoid washing or cleansing the treated area
- Apply the drying and soothing powder morning and evening
- Avoid alcohol or hot and spicy foods if there is a tendency to flushing
- Avoid exercise
- Avoid situations which can cause sweating or dilation of blood vessels e.g. overly warm environments, stressful situations, exercise.
A small pot of calamine powder will be given after the first treatment. This should be applied in a rolling motion with clean cotton wool in the morning and evening for 48 hours.
No cleanser or makeup should be used during this time.
After 48 hours there will be healing crusts and make up can be worn. A normal skincare regime can be resumed but with care as the healing crusts should be kept as dry as possible and must not be knocked off or picked off. They will naturally slough off after 5-7 days.
The clinic should be contacted if there is any concern about healing.
A complete sunblock should be used for at least 6 weeks.
Your safety is our priority. Dr. Wilson is personally trained and certified by Sterex in advanced cosmetic procedures using electrolysis, ensuring a high level of precision for every vein removal treatment. Furthermore, our clinic is fully licensed and regulated by the local council, providing you with the peace of mind that the premises meet the legal requirements.
Facial red vein treatment near me
Facial red vein laser treatment is an alternative option, but electrolysis/diathermy is much more precise and only touches the skin over the vessel unlike laser or IPL.
What other treatments could be helpful?
Wow fusion
The WOW fusion advanced facial treatment can be used to create a personalized cocktail for the face.
Age complex contains ritin which decreases capillary fragility. PDRNs will be available from late 2025 which can be used in microneedling with the WOW device.
Botulinum toxin can also be added into the personalized cocktail to help to reduce facial sweating.
Automated microneedling with dermaroller xcellaris pro twist and Zo Skin Health rozatrol accelerated serum after a Zo Skin Health Restorative Peel
This 3 step process is regenerative stacking at its best, making use of the:
- Zo Skin Health Restorative Peel which is a great peel for beginners and is very tolerable
- Automated microneedling with the Dermaroller XCellars pro twist to stimulate that collagen
- Relaxing under a hydrating mask for 15 minutes with Cryo-globe
- Application of rozatrol serum accelerated which can be continued at home
- Application of sunscreen (CC cream)
Can skincare help facial redness?
Yes. There are several skin ranges which are available from this clinic that can help with redness of the face and broken capillaries.
Sente has a product which specifically helps with broken capillaries and facial redness
The Zo Skin Health range has products which help to reduce facial redness including a daily skincare protocol and redness reducing skin peels which can be carried out regularly. The effectiveness of the peels can be enhance with automated microneedling with the dermaroller xcellaris protwist and the rozarol accelerator serums
SkinBetter Science offers premium skincare to reduce redness
Neostrata has skin care to help to reduce the symptoms of red and sensitive skin.
ESK has skin care protocols for red, sensitive rosacea prone skin