Those thin reddish reticles that so annoy are usually called dilated capillaries. They are actually, rather than capillaries, tiny dilated veins, called microvarices. They can occur on the lower limbs and face. They usually appear in women but can also occur in men.

The most common causes of this problem are hormonal imbalances (they can appear during menarche, pregnancy, menopause or when using the contraceptive pill), venous insufficiency (they appear often behind the malleolus, on the back of the foot, on the thighs), weakness of the capillary system (microvarices appear at the level of the ankles and are caused by excessive exposure to UV rays or cold) heredity, bad posture ( circulatory problems due to standing or sitting for many hours a day), obesity (excessive load on the lower limbs causing circulatory problems), lack of physical activity (physical activity improves the elasticity of the vessels and tones the circulation), incorrect diet (excess saturated fats or refined sugars undermine the circulation).

Many of these causes can be prevented by adopting a correct lifestyle or taking supplements that maintain circulatory wellbeing. Creams and gels can also be beneficial as they have a vaso-protective action, help reactivate the small vessels, reduce venous stasis, and soothe and refresh the skin.

To permanently eliminate existing dilated capillaries in aesthetic medicine, a simple and safe technique called sclerotherapy, which eliminates unsightly small skin vessels and dilated capillaries (telangiectasias) in the lower limbs, has been used for many years.the treatment consists of injecting an irritant solution into the vessel, which causes an inflammatory process that leads to its closure.

Capillaries can otherwise be treated with a laser. The effect of the laser concentrated on the vessels causes a photocoagulation with immediate occlusion of the vessel and the appearance of small scabs on the skin that heal within a week.

In both cases, these are purely aesthetic and not curative treatments. Therefore, for particularly extensive clinical cases, an echocolordoppler of the lower limbs is recommended in order to possibly decide which treatment to resort to.