Facial Dandruff - Causes, Treatment and Home Remedies

Couperose / telangiectasia in the face

Visible reddish facial veins are not only a cosmetic blemish, but may also be an expression of various diseases that may require treatment. A visit to a doctor is therefore highly recommended in cases of increased occurrence of red veins on the face.

contents

• Couperose / telangiectasia in the face
• definition
• symptoms
• Causes of facial veins
• Consequence of Osler's disease or Louis Bar syndrome
• Rosacea, liver diseases and basaliomas
• diagnosis
• Therapy with capillaries in the face
• Naturopathy with facial veins

definition

As a facial vein recognizable with the naked eye, irreversible extensions of the blood vessels of the skin in the facial area. The medical term for vascular dilation of capillaries in general is telangiectasia. Related to the part of the face is also a so-called couperose speech. A special form of telangiectasia, the so-called spider nevi (nevus araneus), which are recognizable as red patches on the face, surrounded by tiny red veins.

Red capillaries on the face can be caused, for example, by the chronic, inflammatory skin disease rosacea. (Image: Milan Lipowski / fotolia.com)

symptoms

First, the facial veins usually show in the area of ​​the nose or cheeks as a transient pinhead redness. The blood builds up in the so-called capillaries. With repeated congestion in the tiny blood vessels, these are widened, forming protuberances and ramifications. New blood vessels are also created. The veins remain permanently as redness and there are more telangiectasias. Depending on their causes, they can be aligned with a center or form a larger network.

Causes of facial veins

The possible triggers of visible facial veins range from harmless vascular malformations to hereditary diseases and acquired diseases. Hereditary diseases that can lead to facial telangiectasia include, for example, Osler's disease and Louis Bar syndrome. Acquired diseases, which cause the reddening of the skin on the face, are for example the so-called Acne rosacea (also Rosacea or colloquially Kupferrose), liver illnesses with so-called Leberhautzeichen (Spinnennävi) and Basaliome (basal cell cancer).

Consequence of Osler's disease or Louis Bar syndrome

Osler's disease is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion and causes pathological vasodilation at different parts of the body, which are visible in the facial area as small red patches. Especially the face (nose, lips, mouth) and the stomach or intestinal mucous membranes are affected by the telangiectasia in Osler's disease. The vascular dilations in the gastrointestinal tract may be the cause of repeated bleeding, leading to a dark discoloration of the stool, so-called tarry stool.

Morbus Osler usually manifests itself in adolescence, because the typical symptom of the disease is frequent nosebleeds. However, the disease can go unnoticed until adulthood. If the vascular dilations manifest themselves in the course of the disease in the brain or the lungs of the patients, this leads to a significantly increased risk for a stroke or brain abscesses. Accompanying headaches are to be evaluated here as a possible warning signal.

Louis Bar syndrome is an autosomal recessive inherited systemic disorder in which, in addition to reddish veins and telangiectasias of the conjunctiva of the eye, numerous other complaints are observed. Those affected suffer from movement disorders (ataxia), a loss of substance in the cerebellum, disorders of eye movements and a general physical developmental delay at the age of three years. In addition, the Louis Bar syndrome brings a defect of the T cells with it, whereby the immune defense is impaired. Those affected are more susceptible to infectious diseases and increasingly suffer from leukemia or malignant tumors of the lymphatic system.

Couperose is not only a cosmetic problem, but it can indicate serious complaints such as liver disease or basal cell cancer. (Image: rob3000 / fotolia.com)

Rosacea, liver diseases and basaliomas

The symptoms of rosacea are especially in the elderly and includes a significant change in the appearance of the skin with the formation of couperose, redness, flaky skin and local purulent inflammation in the form of pustules and poplars in the later course of the disease. Especially the nose and cheeks are affected by the skin irritations.

The tissue is increasingly changed in the course of inflammatory processes and it show up nodular tissue thickening of the nose (rhinophyma), colloquially usually referred to as "Knoll nose" or sometimes as "drunkard nose". The latter is not true in principle, since there is no connection between the rosacea and excessive consumption of alcohol. While alcohol is credited with enhancing the symptoms (as does coffee, tea, spice, or excessive sunbathing), the root cause of rosacea remains unclear. Suspected disorders in the supply of the blood vessels of the face, but also hair follicle mites and neurogenic inflammation are discussed as possible causes.

Chronic liver disease often results in a marked change in the appearance of the skin, which is summarized as so-called liver membrane signs. Facial veins in the form of so-called spider nevi are among the typical symptoms. Other liver skin signs form, for example, reddish-colored palms or a so-called lacquer tongue (associated with corresponding burning of the tongue or mouth burning). Also the yellowish discoloration of the skin (jaundice) is one of the typical features of a chronic liver disease ... Since the late-stage liver disease can lead to irreversible damage to the organ, which at worst results in the death of the patient, should urgently seek medical help become.

In case of basalioma (special skin cancer), surrounding telangiectases are often found, but locally limited. This also applies to the particularly malignant form of a so-called ulcer terebrans. The latter basaliomas do not appear as raised nodular tissue thickening, but rather extend into the depth of the tissue, which can affect muscles and bones and cause severe irreversible damage. With appropriate treatment, patients' chances of survival are generally quite high, as basal cell carcinomas rarely cause metastases, but patients with basal cell cancers in the facial area must expect severe disfigurement.

diagnosis

On the basis of the skin picture and a thorough medical history, the attending physicians gain a first impression of the possible triggers of the facial veins. For example, the overall clinical picture in Osler or Rosacea is usually the basis of the diagnosis. The Louis Bar syndrome can be relatively clearly determined based on the symptoms, but a definitive diagnosis is usually based on modern imaging techniques (computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging), with the help of the substance loss (atrophy) can be detected in the cerebellum.

In blood tests, patients also show reduced immunoglobulin levels. Liver diseases can also be diagnosed quite clearly on the basis of blood tests and imaging procedures. Basaliomas can usually already be identified as such by their appearance. In case of doubt, a tissue sample provides the required diagnostic certainty.

Important: In the case of bluish red discoloration of the cheeks, consideration must also be given to a possible heart valve defect, the mitral stenosis (mitral cheek), in differential diagnosis.

Therapy with capillaries in the face

First of all, the treatment should be based on the causes of the facial veins, but there is usually no possibility of a cure, especially in the case of hereditary diseases. Here the therapy concentrates on the alleviation of the complaints and if necessary the removal of the skin problems by means of laser treatment. The tiny blood vessels become desolate and are subsequently degraded by the organism itself.

For a rosacea, intensive skin care with mild cleansers is the general basis of the therapy. In addition, oral and / or topical antibiotics are often prescribed to prevent secondary bacterial infections. The vitamin A acid derivative isotretinoin is also credited with a positive effect against the copper rose. The widespread use of cortisone in many skin diseases, however, leads to an increase in symptoms. Even with a rosacea the facial veins can be removed with the help of a laser treatment. The bulbous tissue thickening of the nose can be removed by surgical means.

If the red veins are due to a chronic disease of the liver, the treatment options are often extremely limited. First of all, the avoidance of any liver toxins (alcohol, certain medicines) comes first. Also, a detoxification of the liver may be appropriate. Although specific antivirals are available for the different forms of viral liver inflammation (hepatitis), the success rate of the drug therapy remains limited. If the liver damage has already assumed the extent of liver cirrhosis, the impairments are irreversible and only a liver transplantation can help those affected.

In basal cell cancer, a surgical removal of the affected tissue is the safest treatment option to date. The healing prospects are usually relatively high. If the basal cell carcinoma is inoperable, local radiotherapy or chemotherapy may be required. The so-called cryotherapy (icing) is used against basaliomas.

For some years, drugs for the external treatment of basal cell carcinomas are available, which should locally strengthen the body's own defenses of the skin against the tumor cells. The so-called photodynamic therapy is used against basal cell cancer, whereby the cancer cells are first sensitized to light by medication and then selectively destroyed with special red light.

Regular facial massages can alleviate rosacea symptoms. (Image: Toshe / fotolia.com)

Naturopathy with facial veins

Naturopathy offers relatively promising treatment approaches especially against facial veins in the context of rosacea. For example, facial massages have a very positive effect here. Even skin cleansing - possibly with special anti-inflammatory, antibacterial plant extracts - are used against the copper rose.

From the field of homeopathy especially the active substances Abrotanum, Kalium phosphoricum and Kalium sulfuricum against the rosacea to the train. Since a connection of the disease with psychological stress or stress is suspected, also plays the stress regulation, for example, by yoga or autogenic training, in the context of naturopathic rosacea therapy often a special role.

Hydrotherapy with cold and warm water treatments promises relief of discomfort. If permanent telangiectasias have already developed on the affected person's face, however, it is no longer possible to eliminate them on a naturopathic basis, but only the formation of additional facial veins can be minimized. (fp, last updated on 13.11.2017)
Specialist supervision: Barbara Schindewolf-Lensch (doctor)