When you look in the mirror, what’s the first
thing you notice? If you’re like most people, you usually focus on the things you
would like to change – from acne scars to the fine lines and wrinkles of sun damage.
But some people see shades of blue or green from facial veins that commonly appear under
or around the eye area. While facial veins usually do not cause pain or vision problems,
they can be esthetically unpleasing in the eye of the beholder.
Speaking today at the American Academy of Dermatology’s 2002 Annual
Meeting in New Orleans, dermatologist David Green, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of
Dermatology, Howard University Hospital, Washington, D.C., discussed findings of a recent
study he conducted using sclerotherapy to remove common facial veins.
Sclerotherapy is a non-surgical procedure that permanently removes
unwanted veins. A special sclerosing solution is injected with a very fine needle into the
blood vessel, which irreversibly alters the vessel wall causing it to be absorbed so that
it fully and permanently disappears.
While sclerotherapy has been used successfully for more than 100 years
to remove unwanted spider veins and varicose veins on the legs, it has only recently been
found to safely remove unwanted facial veins.
"Although the treatment of leg veins is widely available,
physicians rarely treat unwanted facial and, in particular, eyelid veins," explained
Dr. Green. "Results using lasers or surgical ligation of these veins have been
inconsistent at best, and small scars usually persist at the incision sites. Physicians
have been reluctant to use sclerotherapy to remove facial veins because they fear
inflicting ophthalmologic or neurologic complications, despite the absence of any reports
of such complications."
In his study, Dr. Green treated 50 patients who had unwanted veins on
the eyelids and around the eyes with sclerotherapy. After one treatment session,
sclerotherapy was found to be effective in permanently removing these veins. The complete
disappearance of the veins was observed within two months after treatment for all
patients. Side effects were minimal, with some patients experiencing mild swelling and
bruising that lasted up to 10 days. Patients were allowed to resume all their regular
activities following treatment with no limitations.
In addition, no new veins appeared in the skin around the eyes where
veins were removed during the 12-month period following the procedure. Of the 50 patients
treated, no patient required a second treatment and there was no
hyperpigmentation, or
darkening of the skin, at the site of the treated vein.
By studying the anatomy of the veins in the skin of the face, Dr. Green
provided evidence for the absence of a direct connection between veins in the skin around
the eyes and the veins that supply the eye and brain. Under normal circumstances, the
veins of the face, including eyelid veins, directly drain into either the external jugular
or internal jugular veins, bypassing the deeper veins of the eye and brain. Dr. Green
explains that this is the reason why adverse ophthalmologic and cerebral effects have not
been previously reported when using sclerotherapy to treat facial veins.
"The results of the study were extremely positive. It is important
to underscore that no patient reported any significant symptoms during or after treatment
with sclerotherapy, including ophthalmologic or neurologic changes," said Dr. Green.
"As more and more physicians turn to sclerotherapy as an effective and safe way to
treat facial veins, patients will finally have a viable option to eliminate these
noticeable veins."
The American Academy of Dermatology, founded in 1938, is the largest,
most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a
membership of over 14,000 dermatologists worldwide, the Academy is committed to: advancing
the diagnosis and medical, surgical, and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair and nails;
advocating high standards in clinical practice, education, and research in dermatology;
supporting and enhancing patient care for a lifetime of healthier skin. For more
information, contact the AAD at 1-888-462-DERM or www.aad.org.
