Intense Pulsed Light Therapy for Thread Vein Removal

25th May 2022

One way to remove thread veins is with Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL) treatments. We explore how effective IPL is at removing thread veins from skin.

While thread veins aren’t harmful, they do cause skin to appear red and uneven, leading to some seeking ways of removing or reducing their appearance.

One such way to remove thread veins is with Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL) treatments. We explore how effective IPL is at removing thread veins from skin.

What are Thread Veins?

Thread veins, also known as spider veins, are small clusters of red or blue veins that typically appear on the face and legs. Often they can be seen around the nose, cheeks and chin.

Thread veins appear when the vein has dilated, becoming larger and, thus, visible through the skin. The exact cause of thread veins is often unknown, but there are a variety of factors that can contribute to developing thread veins, including hereditary predisposition, sun damage, temperature extremes and overuse of steroid cream. The skin condition rosacea is often linked to the development of thread veins.

Unfortunately, thread veins don’t go away once you’ve got them, so waiting for them to fade or disappear is unlikely to lead to any improvement.

They don’t protrude from skin and are harmless, but some people seek treatments to reduce the appearance of these veins to achieve a more even skin tone. One way of controlling thread veins is to use Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL).

What is Intense Pulsed Light Therapy?

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy is a non-invasive treatment used for improving complexion, as it reduces redness, thread veins, sun spots, pigmentation and sun damage.

IPL targets light energy at skin, which is absorbed by cells and converted into heat, which destroys the blemish and clears the skin. It works in a similar way to laser treatments, except it can deliver many different wavelengths instead of just one with each pulse of light, which makes it easier to target specific parts of the skin.

Intense Pulsed Light therapy targets the lower layers of skin, without impacting the upper layers of skin, so there will be minimal downtime for the procedure.

How Does Intense Pulsed Light Therapy for Thread Vein Removal Work?

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy can quickly remove thread veins and redness from your face and body with minimal downtime with a non-invasive, non-surgical treatment. IPL treatments can typically remove thread veins of between 1-3mm in size.

IPL for thread veins works by applying high-intensity light energy to the skin, which is absorbed by the blood vessels, heating them until they are destroyed. The vessels are reabsorbed by the body, clearing the skin where they were.

How Effective is Intense Pulsed Light Therapy for Thread Vein Removal?

IPL can be effective at treating facial thread veins, as well as other skin redness, like rosacea and port wine stains. Depending on the lesion, IPL can be used on other parts of the body, such as the legs.

As we can see with the client below, IPL treatments for thread veins or other vascular lesions can dramatically reduce the amount of redness and visibility of the veins, making the skin look more evenly toned, clearer and smoother.

How Often Will I Need IPL for Thread Vein Removal?

Small lesions may disappear after a single treatment, although many people will require around 3-5 rounds of IPL treatments for optimum results.

We recommend waiting about 4 weeks between treatment sessions to give skin enough time to recover and for the benefits to be seen.

Who Can Have Intense Pulsed Light Therapy for Thread Vein Removal?

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy works best for those with fair skin, and will only be offered to those with skin tone types I-III on the Fitzpatrick scale, as darker skin types are more prone to side effects, such as burning or hyperpigmentation from IPL treatments.

What Else Can Intense Pulsed Light Therapy Treat?

In addition to reducing the appearance of thread veins, IPL treatments have the bonus benefits of making skin look clearer, brighter, younger and less pigmented.

IPL is effective at treating pigmentation issues, such as sun damage, pigmentation, liver spots and freckles.

If you want to see if Intense Pulsed Light therapy will work to improve your skin, we offer IPL treatments in Bristol.

Get in touch with us at Bristol Skin Clinic today to book your first appointment.