Cosmetic Clinics

What are facial veins?
These are small blood vessels that can appear just under the skin surface and be visible either as individual vessels or as a general redness. They do not perform any useful function but can be unsightly.

What causes them?
There are probably quite a number of things that contribute to their appearance – sun exposure, inflammation that may be caused by injury, acne or rosacea, and genetic factors all play a part, as can alcohol consumption.

What can I do about them?
In our opinion laser offers the most reliable and safe method of treatment. Usually people have tried various other treatments without success before they come to us at Mulberry House Clinic and are delighted with the results.
Many people use make-up or camouflage to mask them, although is obviously not an ideal solution.
There are many distributors of creams and potions that claim to offer simple solutions but without any firm scientific foundation.
At Mulberry House Clinic we offer a unique treatment that acts as an effective camouflage while still allowing the skin to breathe – what’s more the application is dry, waterproof, and provides factor 30 sun protection.

How does laser work?
This cosmetic laser treatment involves the laser (light) energy is delivered through a hand-held device with a cooling tip that protects your skin, and is absorbed by the pigment in your blood so that the unwanted vein collapses.

When will I see results?
The treated veins will either fade or completely disappear during the treatment. Some vessels may show temporary swelling that will subside after a few hours to a few days. The red appearance of the treated vessels may go immediately or gradually disappear as the healing process occurs over the next two weeks. It is common for some vessels to partially reappear during this time, and hence usually more than one laser treatment is required.

Most patients see improvement after the first treatment, but up to three treatments may be necessary to obtain the best results (around five may be required for rosacea).

How often can you have it done?
The usual comsetic laser treatment interval is two to four weeks.

Are there any side effects?
Immediately following the procedure you may experience some redness in the treated area. The redness usually dissipates after a few hours, but occasionally some puffiness may last for one to three days.

How long does it take?
Most laser treatments will take between 15-30 minutes depending on the size of the area to be treated. It is not usually necessary but topical anaesthetic may be applied before laser treatment.

After my first BOTOX treatment I was 100 per cent confident in Dr Tanqueray, and the next thing we discussed was the effects of sun damage – in my case problems with freckles and little broken capillaries and redness. John suggested cosmetic laser treatment and he recommended a course of six of these skin treatments.

Gel was applied to my face and then a probe was slowly run all over my face backwards and forwards. It felt like mild pins and needles over the skin; it felt cool but scratchy.

Directly after treatment my cheeks were quite red, but John assured me it was only temporary and I could apply make-up straightaway. By the time I went to bed, about five hours later, the redness had completely gone.

After two or three treatments I have noticed the improvement in skin texture by the evenness of my complexion, the thread veins have gone and my cheeks don’t flush so readily. The colour is definitely corrected and I am often asked what foundation I use! Of course, I am happy to recommend Mulberry House Clinic.

by Lyn Keable

Cosmetic laser treatments and many other skin treatments are available through Mulberry House Clinic, Northamptonshire 01604 702630 or www.lasertreatmentsnorthampton.co.uk