Telangiectasias are permanently dilated small blood vessels visible at the skin surface. They are vessels, not pigment — which changes how they are treated.
Book an assessment →Dilated capillaries and venules in the superficial dermis, commonly on the nose, cheeks and around the nostrils. They do not resolve on their own.
Pigment absorbs different wavelengths from haemoglobin. A device set for brown spots will not close a vessel, and treating vessels as pigment wastes sessions.
Vessel calibre, distribution, whether there is a background of rosacea or photodamage, and any history of topical steroid use.
Vascular-selective wavelengths absorbed by haemoglobin. Vessel size influences which settings are appropriate.
Widespread or sudden telangiectasia, or vessels alongside other systemic signs, is assessed rather than treated cosmetically.
Thread veins are a structural change: the vessel wall has lost its tone and the vessel stays open. Creams do not close them. Treatment therefore aims to make individual vessels collapse so the body can reabsorb them, using light that haemoglobin in the blood absorbs.
At assessment Dr Sin Yong looks at how thick the vessels are, where they sit, and what is behind them. Fine red lines on the cheeks of rosacea-prone skin are approached differently from a few thicker blue-red vessels on the side of the nose. Steroid creams used on the face for long periods can thin the skin and leave vessels behind, and that history changes the plan.
Vascular-selective laser settings are chosen by vessel size and skin type. Several sessions spaced weeks apart are typical, and new vessels can appear over time if the triggers remain, so sun protection and rosacea care are part of the plan. Temporary redness, swelling and occasional bruising can follow treatment and are explained beforehand.
Sun exposure, heat, alcohol, spicy food and very hot showers widen facial vessels for a while and, over years, can make widening more lasting in people prone to it. Avoiding harsh scrubs and long-term facial steroid use also helps protect fragile skin.
“A thread vein is a blood vessel, not a brown mark. Laser settings chosen for pigment will not close it, and sessions spent that way are sessions lost.”
Telangiectasias are permanently dilated small blood vessels visible at the skin surface. They are vessels, not pigment — which changes how they are treated.
Pigment absorbs different wavelengths from haemoglobin. A device set for brown spots will not close a vessel, and treating vessels as pigment wastes sessions.
Vessel calibre, distribution, whether there is a background of rosacea or photodamage, and any history of topical steroid use.
Widespread or sudden telangiectasia, or vessels alongside other systemic signs, is assessed rather than treated cosmetically.
A treated vessel that has closed does not reopen, but new vessels can form over time, especially with ongoing sun exposure or rosacea. Maintenance and trigger control are discussed as part of the plan.
Not always. Thread veins can appear on their own from sun damage or genetics, or as part of rosacea, where flushing and background redness are also present. The difference affects how treatment is planned.
These sources describe mechanisms and general evidence. They are not a promise of any individual result; suitability is decided at an in-person assessment.
Every assessment at IN Eternity Clinic is carried out personally by Medical Director Dr Sin Yong at 9 Scotts Road, #12-01 Pacific Plaza. If the honest answer is that treatment should wait, you will be told that.
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