Facial Vein Treatment: Deal or No Deal?

When it comes to skin treatments, it seems there is a “deal” on every corner. Knowing the difference between a deal and a dupe can be challenging, unless you have access to an expert! Dr. Jo Herzog was recently asked by a Family Savvy reader to weigh in on a specific deal. The question and answer are below.

Question: Dr. Herzog, I saw an advertised deal last week for one facial vein treatment for $129 (supposedly a $400 value). Can you tell me if this is a deal that I should take advantage of? I do have a few facial veins that I would love to have removed if the price were right and the procedure safe. Thanks so much!

Dr. Jo Herzog

You are already being savvy by digging deeper to see if a deal is really a deal.  When you are analyzing a potential deal, the first thing that you want to know is specifically what the offer is for. I see that this deal offers one vein treatment for $129 and that you might need more than one. The treatment involves light, so I am assuming that this is an IPL treatment. It would have been nice if this had been specified.

In regards to this particular deal, the second question you need to ask is this: Is light treatment a good way to eliminate veins? If you call first and find out that this treatment is in fact IPL, then I do think that this is good for small facial veins. The options for facial veins are light sources, laser, and electrocautery. Although injections are the treatment of choice for spider veins on the legs, I do not think that they should be done for facial vessels.

If you have a few vessels, then simple electrocautery should be able to eliminate them. On the other hand, if you have a lot of veins and redness, I think that IPL is a good choice.
The price is reasonable and fair. I would not say that it is a steal, as there seem to be lots of similar deals out there for this type of procedure. If this deal is in a place that is convenient for you, then it is a good option. However, all deals should not be a matter of convenience, as you can get into trouble when you are looking for a bargain for a procedure that takes a lot of skill to perform.

If you are shopping for treatments such as facials, hair removal, light treatment, or microdermabrasion, then you are fairly safe (not totally safe) when looking for a deal. I still would not go somewhere that I was not somewhat familiar with–even for free. Most importantly, when it comes to a real laser or something being injected into your face THERE ARE NO DEALS.

When it comes to injections and high tech lasers, the only deals are those you would get from a doctor that you trust who is offering one because the company that sells the drug (or laser) is giving the doctor a “deal” to market that product. You will find these deals in the offices of  dermatologists or plastic surgeons–professionals whose practices use these things frequently. I would be much more selective about who you go to when being injected, as no deal is worth it if you are not being treated by an experienced MD.

Hope this helped and that you get a good deal on your facial veins.

Have a good week,

Dr. Jo