How To Cover Thread Veins

In the last 13 years my rosacea has changed so much: I’ve gone from Type 2 (pustules and bumps) to Type 1 (flushing with persistent redness); my skin is now more oily, rather than dry and scaly; I’ve changed my diet and lifestyle, my skincare routine has been honed and perfected, and I’ve learned how to manage my stress a little better. I finally feel like I am more in control of my rosacea, but years of damage have left me with a lot of broken capillaries (spider veins or telangiectasia if we’re being scientific) which give my skin a pink tone even when I’m not having a flare up. Keep reading for my tips on how to cover thread veins below.

*Sponsored post in association with Dermalex

Spider veins are tiny, ribbon-like red lines that sit close to the surface of the skin at all times. They can be light red or dark purple and, although they aren’t immediately noticeable by other people, they just give my skin an overall pink appearance which is annoying. They tend to occur due to the weakening and eventual destruction of the veins: every time I’ve had a flare up over the past 13 years, my veins have grown weaker and weaker until they’ve just given up. Poor things!

In the photos below you can see the thin red/purple veins on the sides of my nose, around my nostrils and a dark vein at the side of my mole.

However, broken veins aren’t just limited to rosacea: they can be genetic, or come with age, they can also be caused by sun damage, or from alcohol (one of the reasons many people accuse those of us with rosacea of being alcoholics!) so hopefully this post will help you even if you don’t have rosacea. Here are my tips on how to cover thread veins, or minimise their appearance:

• If your skin can handle cold on the face, applying a cooling ice pack (wrapped in a towel) or a cooling face mask can restrict the blood vessels temporarily which can help the appearance of the veins.
• My veins tend to poke through even high coverage foundation, so I often use green concealers to neutralise the redness of the vein first. This can mean that you use less foundation, which gives a more natural look overall. You can read more of my tips on colour correcting HERE and there’s a post about all of my favourite base products HERE.
• If you don’t like a full face of foundation, or don’t want to use green concealer all over your face, you can do some pin-point coverage – this is where you use a tiny brush (sometimes called a ‘detail brush’) to cover only the small area with the exposed vein.
• A more invasive (and expensive) option is laser therapy to zap the damaged veins in order to remove them completely. A focused beam means just the vein is targeted so the surrounding skin isn’t damaged. I haven’t taken the plunge yet, but I am tempted. Let me know in the comments if you’ve done any laser treatment, I want to hear all about it!
• Or you can use a targeted cream that helps with their appearance…

Those of you who have been Talonted Lex readers since the beginning may recognise the name Dermalex. I first tried Dermalex when I was just a blogging baby, when I was still learning about my rosacea and desperately trying to get it under control. I was impressed with the product back then, but when they got in touch with me recently about their new campaign I was intrigued to see how it could help my skin now. So what are its benefits? It is designed to calm and soothe the skin; it contains UVA and UVB filters; it is free from steroids and antibiotics so it’s suitable for long-term use. It also helps to repair the skin’s barrier function, creating a protective film for daily protection against external triggers. But it also has short-term benefits for those of you with short attention spans: notably reducing the visibility of thread veins through the inclusion of a green pigment in the cream. This makes it a great option for those of you who don’t want to/can’t wear make up, as it will subtly neutralise some of the redness in the skin and help to cover thread veins without looking obvious. Even better? It’s available in Boots so you don’t have to jump through hoops to get it.

I wanted to give Dermalex a proper trial – even though I’ve tried it in the past – so I’ve been using it twice a day since the beginning of April. It’s a very cooling, calming cream that doesn’t aggravate my skin, it doesn’t have an unpleasant scent, and it sinks in without leaving a greasy or sticky finish to the skin. I do notice a subtle difference in the appearance of the noticeable thread veins when I apply it, but bear in mind that this is a cosmetic benefit and this is not going to impact the appearance of the veins over time. You can read more about Dermalex HERE, where you can also see the wider range (which includes products for psoriasis, eczema, and acne).

Do you struggle with spider veins? Do you have any tips to share on how to cover thread veins? Let me know in the comments below!

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Lex

*Sponsored post in association with Dermalex

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