What can be done to minimize the appearance of forehead arteries and veins? (photos)

Some people have more visible blood vessels others. This happens generally more commonly in people with bear skin and especially older people as we lose subcutaneous fat making the blood vessels more exposed and visible. The best option is probably to except the blood vessels as being normal despite his ball. Everybody has them and is supposed to have them.
Fat transfer is theoretically a treatment option. in order to look passable the entire forehead needs to be treated so that the thickness of the subcutaneous fat layer is consistent throughout that anatomic region. Fat grafting is fickle, imprecise, unpredictable and can be unforgiving. Another option is to work with dilute Radiesse. that is a filler that is white in color and can bulk up the subcutaneous fat layer while at the same time adding some pigment. The product looks a bit like toothpaste. The trick is to be able to inject it without it looking like a bunch of lines. it can be injected to create a smooth even topography. it helps a lot if the provider dilutes the product sufficiently and has numerous passes from different angles minimizing the chance of developing an injection grid appearance. The problem with that is that it tends to not all survive and can survive differently in different areas for a multitude of reasons. If grafted fat doesn’t survive it will either leave an area with less volume for the dead fat can become a firm module of necrotic fat and scar tissue. Ending up with an uneven lumpy fat distribution with firm lumps of dead fat across your forehead would be highly undesirable and the chance of this happening is very real.
Delivering consistent results with fat transfer is difficult it should only be attempted by those who have sufficient skill and experience with a proven track record.
Even in the hands of really talented and experienced providers there’s still a chance of creating problems with this technique.
Blood vessels can be eliminated by tying them off using sutures or titanium clips. The blood flow will find alternate vessels and this could simply cause other vessels to engorge more.
You should not eliminate arteries since they do not always have a secondary system that can supply blood needed for the tissues. in some areas arteries are what’s called end arteries. If those vessels are eliminated then the tissue they supply will die. examples of end arteries are arteries that supply the brain, the retinal artery, coronary arteries. Of all treatments regards to effectiveness and minimizing risk injecting dilute Radiesse it’s probably your best option. The product is now FDA approved to use in the back of the hand. it is used in that area to also hide blood vessels and the contour of tendons from the loss of subcutaneous fat due to age.
You should be able to see sufficient pictures of that treatment to get an idea of what can be done. Treating the forehead in this way would be off label but certainly an acceptable treatment. all treatments come with certain risk including bleeding, bruising and the potential embolization of a blood vessel.
Consider finding providers who seem to do a lot of Radiesse treatments for dorsal Hans and ask them.
You can also consult with plastic surgeons I seem to have a lot of skill and experience with facial fat grafting to see if they have experience.
You can also consult with plastic surgeons I seem to have a lot of skill and experience with facial fat grafting to see if they have experience.
Before having any permanent and potentially irreversible procedure you should get clear confirmation of each providers skill and experience.
Do that by asking them their entire collection of before and after pictures for the procedure you choose or they are recommending.
For fat transfer make absolutely sure do you know how long after the procedure The “after” pictures were taken. Early fat transfer results can look very impressive but they do not represent final results whatsoever.
Fat transfer after pictures should be taken at a minimum of three months but preferably six months or longer from the date of procedure.
Whether this is worth it in the end or not if something each person needs to decide.
I personally have a few visible blood vessels on my face and forehead and they don’t bother me enough to consider having treatment. perhaps not as visible as yours.
Unfortunately there is no easy consistent totally safe treatment for what you’re hoping to achieve.
Look for highly experienced talented and ethical providers.
This may require having multiple in person consultations.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD