Broken Blood Vessels or Spider Veins?

These sound like they could be cherry angiomas - small 2-4mm diameter red spots that can occur anywhere on the body. Although benign, these can often be unsightly, especially when there are numerous lesions present. Fortunately these lesions are very amenable to laser treatment. If the spots are small enough, just one treatment may be necessary. I always use a pulsed dye laser for these types of growths. A pulsed dye laser is specific for the blood vessels and is far superior to any... more

Hi, Both doctors are correct. Broken blood vessels are the same thing as spider veins. The most accurate way to treat them is with a laser designed to target specifically the blood vessels (or the red blood cells in them). There are many lasers designed to do this such as the pulsed dye laser or KTP laser. I think these are a much more accurate way to treat. IPL can treat them in some cases, but not the treatment of choice. Hope this helps.

A proper diagnosis will determine the treatment. Actually broken blood vessels and spider veins are the same thing. But from your description, you may have cherry angioma. IPL is the least invasive as it is not a laser treatment but a light treatment. IPL will seldom cause anything more than a slight crusting of pigmented areas which will then fall off. The light also seals small blood vessels so you can get two problems treated at the same time. A KTP laser is more specific for... more