Broken capillaries or in medical term referred to as varicose veins or telangiectasia is a common cosmetic problem affecting millions of people worldwide. Broken capillaries can arise on the face, arms, chest or the shins. It has several contributing causes such as pregnancy, prolonged standing, obesity, use of contraceptive pills or due to disease such as deep vein thrombosis.
Broken capillaries is a cosmetic issue but if a person develops symptoms or signs like bleeding, pain, ulceration and skin changes around the broken capillaries, they should get a referral from a doctor to see a specialist. There are a number of ways to deal with broken capillaries. Here are some of the common methods.
- Conservative Treatment
Conservative in the medical field is the management plan that does not involve medical or surgical intervention. For treating broken capillaries conservatively, a person can tackle the known causes such as obesity/overweight and avoid prolonged standing.
People with broken capillaries should also stop smoking and start to walk more to enable more smooth blood flow. Hydration is an important factor, thus drinking enough water is encouraged. In cases where the broken capillaries are quite prominent, compression socks are usually prescribed to see if the condition subsided.
- Minimal Invasive Therapies
The procedures in this type of therapy use direct manipulation of the broken capillaries either by injecting a solution or by laser treatment. An injection into the broken capillaries uses a drug that will cause the collapse and death of the small capillaries. Examples are like the injection sclerotherapy that uses 1% sodium tetradecyl sulphate. The procedure often leaves unpleasant feeling such as burning sensation and caution should be taken in certain people who may have an allergic reaction to the solution.
Another way to deal with this problem is by laser therapy. One of the examples of such therapy is the Candela Gentle Yag Therapy. The treatment applies a precise laser pulse to the broken capillaries to induce death of the capillaries while quickly cools and soothes the skin as the handheld device glide along the skin.
It does not cause a burning sensation as injection sclerotherapy does but some patient may feel a pinch or sting like sensation during the treatment. The treatment also does not require anaesthesia use or pain medication. Some people may also find the hair around the broken capillaries to fall off too due to the effects of the treatment.
- Surgical Management
Surgical treatment of broken capillaries is rare except when there is a clear indication for it. Some of the indications are large varicose veins, complicated broken capillaries (such as ulceration and severe pain) and major perforator vessel incompetency. Surgical treatment has high risks for the patient after the surgery, thus the need for further evaluation by the surgeon. The type of surgery depends on the site of the broken capillaries and the expertise of the surgeon.
In a nutshell, treatment for broken capillaries depends on many factors to be considered. The use of laser treatment has made a significant improvement in treating broken capillaries with a quick and immediate result can be seen after the treatment.
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