Red Face

Redness of the face may occur because of permanantly dliated blood vessels (telangiectasia), inflammation of the skin (e.g. acne or dermatitis) or a flushing tendancy. Some conditions such as rosacea may give rise to inflammation, flushing and telangiectasia.

Assessment and diagnosis by a skin specialist will allow  the right treatment choice to be made.

Permanantly dliated blood vessels (telangiectasia) do not respond to creams or tablets and can only be treated effectively by destroying them with a laser or intense pulsed light (IPL) device. Cautery runs are far higher risk of scarring, however, it is still offered by many clinics, especially those which are not medically supervised.

At Shropshire Skin Clinic the majority of patients with facial telangiectasia are treated with IPL, a process known as photorejuvenation.

Localised areas of telangiactasia, especially those around the nose may respond better to treatment with the Diolite laser. Some patients are treated with a combination of IPL and Diolite laser. Deeper blue coloured veins or longstanding port wine stain birthmarks may respond best to treatment with the Nd:YAG laser.

Patients with problematic flushing usually also have some telangiectasia. IPL photorejuvenation will usually lead to an improvement in both problems. Some patients with flushing may require prescription medicine to improve their symptoms. In extreme cases an operation called sympathectomy may be considered.

Inflammatory conditions are usually best treated with creams or tablets. Photorejuvenation is, however, an excellent treatment for many patients with rosacea.