Can veins around the eyes look better?

Dr. I: I am 50 years old and live in Missouri. I had co2 laser treatment 6 months ago under my eyes and now my skin under my eyes is thinner and you can see the veins around the lower orbital of my eye. Is there anything I can do for this? Makeup does not cover it completely or looks cakey. D

Was the CO2 (carbon dioxide) laser you had a traditional CO2 or a fractionated CO2? ? I’m strongly recommending to consumers that if they want want to do a CO2 laser on the eyelids it should be a fractionated system not a traditional CO2 laser system.  This is because the eyelid skin is very thin and, if a traditional CO2 laser is  done even a hair too deeply, the pigment cells are lost from the skin (permanent hypopigmentation) so the area looks whiter than the surrounding skin.  This is a well described complication of traditional (but not fractional) CO2 laser resurfacing. I’m wondering if this might not be what happened?

If the veins look too prominent, I would recommend consulting a vein specialist, usually a vascular surgeon or a dermatologist who specializes solely in vein problems.  Sometimes a very gentle sugar solution (glycerin) can be used to treat a prominent facial veins but have an expert do this.    Dr. I

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

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Hi, I’m Dr. Irwin. I believe that consumers deserve a medically trained and unbiased skin care advocate.

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