Venous Lakes Treatment

Venous lakes are slightly elevated papules that may be blue to purple in colour. They are easily compressible and soft to touch. They appear on the sun-exposed surfaces of the neck, face, lips, ears and also the back of the hands in elderly people. venous lakes are asymptomatic and do not cause any pain. They are often confused with melanoma, so it is a good idea to get them checked out by a doctor to confirm the diagnosis.

The cause if these venous lakes it not well understood. It is believed that the walls of superficial veins can become damaged due to sun exposure. This results in the wall of the vein dilating onto the surface of the skin, thus giving rise to a venous lake.

Trauma to the area may cause the venous lake to bleed. Treatment for venous lakes is mostly for cosmetic reasons. The treatment options include; liquid nitrogen cryosurgery, electrocautery and laser ablation. The excel V vascular laser is an excellent option for treating venous lakes.

Venous lakes may be prevented by applying sunscreen liberally before going out in the sun for extended periods.

Dr Targett has vast experience in the removal of venous lakes as well as many other types of skin lesion removal.