Don't let anyone sell you a cream for those red marks, I did and it doesn't work.

broken blood vessels seem to be what you are describing, they are just there under the skin, dead and floating and need to be burnt or lazered, I've never had it done and I should look into it.

if you can find a good dermatologist to evaluate your skin, that would help.
At least you would know what it would entail to remove some of the marks.

let us know what you find; I'm hoping someone will chime in in this thread also; it's a slow moving forum so don't despair !!!!

You would save time and money by first seeing a good dermatologist. Clogged pores are very hard to impossible to correct and I think squeezing them just stretches them more. Find someone who has a good dermatologist for acne rather than one who only treats diseased skin. Some of them don't like to do cosmetics. You probably need a skin lightening routine to minimize the scarring or redness but this is just guessing.

Have you tried the biore strips? If not those may help. Other things you might try are dermabrasion treatments. They remove the first couple of layers of skin. Like laser surgery but you can do it a little at a time. I'm not sure what the expense is but I do know that it works.

If you are really not sure... or it has been going on long enough talk to a dermatoligist.

Sounds like broken blood vessels.I had a friend who had his lasored . His face looked slightly sunburned,less than some dermabrasion treatments I have seen,for about a week.He was a fair skinned redhead with a severe all over problem.I think his treatment was well worth the money spent.Before you make a date with a dermatologist,make sure that they address cosmetic problems.Mine will only check and or byopsy my skin for cancer.

I also think it sounds like broken blood vessels. See a dermatologist. There is hope.

Hi all;

Sorry the delay in response, I've pretty much been down with the flu and have only been to this site sparingly in the past week.

Mitchdesj: Thanks, nice to see you around :-) I have always been weary of creams; I have never viewed creams to be effective or permanent for some reason. I have been scrutinizing my face lately and it seems that the blood vessels aren't the biggest issue, rather the faint purplish/pinkish discolouration is. I will be contacting a dermatologist shortly for an evaluation.

Terrapots: Thank you. I have looked into bleaching but it seems that it only really works for dark hyper-pigmentation, such as birth marks, etc. I have seen some (but probably not enough) information that put me off to it, saying that it should not be used for redness.

Wolfie: I have tried Biore strips but they seem to do a rather superficial job of just removing the top of a clogged pore. More often than not, they also burn the skin on my nose as my skin can be fairly sensitive at time. I have been thinking of dermabrasion but the laser seems most appealing to me at this time.

Cupajoe: To the unknowing person does your friend still appear to have redness? Even if so, mine is faint enough (I imagine) that it seems laser would pretty much get rid of it all. Do you know approximately how much your friend paid for his face? I do know it varies all over but any idea of what I can expect to pay is good. I will be sure to ask if they perform cosmetic procedures.

Jannie: Thank you, I've been hoping so :-) While I would not call myself a particularly vain person, the faults in my complexion upset me greatly. Hopefully I can get most of it fixed before I move to the United States for the summer (I will be "on display" all day most every day in the job I have been hired for).

Thank you all! And if you have any more advice, please do keep it coming :-)

Talk to your dermatologist about a salacylic acid lotion for your nose. We used to use Komed, a clear lotion which may not be available any longer. The lotion dissolves or softens the plugs of hardened body oil in the skin pores so that the pores can empty out when you bathe. Makes a gradual but big difference.

let's see - if you have broken blood vessels, laser treatments are the only thing with consistent results.

I totally agree with sheila's advice on salicyclic acid - it's a beta-hydroxy acid that's a bit kinder on your skin than the BHA's. it's also the active ingredient in asprin, and a lot of us crunchy-granola types use regular old dollar store, unbuffered asprin as a mask - a few drops of water, and they dissolve into a paste that can be used as a scrub.

the over-the-counter shampoo for psoriasis is the strongest concentration of the stuff you can get - stronger than anything short of a medical peel, actually.

if your skin is sensitive, I suggest you get your 'fruit acids' from the source - payaya, mango, even strawberries have enough of the enzyme to soften up the dead layer of skin - and I'm taking an educated guess that your pores are literally 'skinned over' and an aestetician would steam you, apply a mild peel, and then 'pop' the cap on each pore with a lancet before extracting the blackhead.

steam and mild fruit acids may well be your best bet...

the other end of that is that all of this is mildly to moderately irritating, and you will need to calm your skin back down afterwards - cucumber slices are the 'organic' method (use a veggie peeler to get nice, soft, moldable strips) but there are also cleansers and moisturizers especially for sensitive skin out there.

I would strongly first recommend a dermatologist before you try anything harsh as you mentioned you have fair skin. You could develop some pretty severe scarring from some of these OTC products from reactions. Dermatolgists often sell products that would be stronger yet compatible with your skin type than just using what worked for someone else. Once you are on a routine, you may want to do facials on yourself or find an esthetician and your dermatologist will recommend what would be best for you. Good luck to you in your new job and newly acquired confidence.

My friend had his face lazored 25 years ago.It was new then and I don't doubt that he paid top dollar at the time;he had plenty of money.I'm sure it is cheaper and so much less invasive,safer now.His results were outstanding.No more redness after about a week,and no more visable blood vessals.I have quizzed lots of my clients on varicose vein lazoring(I need it),and the general consensus is that one set of veins can begin causing problems that spread to other areas.Best to nip it in the bud before you have allover problems.Good luck.

I also had clogged nose pores for years until I tried Biore strips and they were a revelation to my skin (which is also fair). Just keep using them and you'll eventually get rid of the clogs. When I had some very serious mid-life acne stress breakouts, I used Pro-Activ Solution, which really worked. (I only wish I'd had this stuff when I was a hormonal teenager. No, I don't sell it, nor do I use it any longer as there's no need.) You do have to be careful not to get it on your clothing, as it will leave little bleached spots, so it's best to use it in the shower if you can.

Now (that all that is cleared up) I use an alphahydroxy skin care system I get through my dermatologist. I ran out of Oil of Olay moisturizer and found an old jar in my cabinet which I started using again. I was reminded after two days how good it is, and went back to it last week. (It's called Glytone, and works incredibly well for me.) I actually get compliments on my skin now, so it helps to keep trying. Whatever you decide to use, make sure it's oil-free, to keep those pores clear.

Good luck to you; I know how frustrating this can be until it gets cleared up.

I've been practically living on the makeup forums lately and many people have reported great success with the oil cleansing method (OCM) to alleviate skin problems. Although it sounds bizarre that one would treat oily skin and clogged pores with more oil, I have heard raves about this method.

I have included a link to a site which explains the method. Although this site uses a combination of castor oil and sunflower oil, most used a mixture of castor oil and extra virgin olive oil. Some would also add additional oils such as jojoba, etc.

A Google search for "oil cleansing method" will also give you a wealth of sites to obtain more information.

It's certainly worth a try, especially if nothing else has helped.

I am planning to try this as I have dry skin and would like to improve this condition and hopefully end up with much softer skin.

Here is a link that might be useful: Oil Cleansing Method

Loomis, thanks for sharing. I'm going to try this.

Hey everyone;

Sorry I haven't responded for a while, I've been incredibly busy! I'm still here though and will add my thoughts soon. Thank you so far for all of the posts though.

Charles,

I usually post on the other side here...so I'm new to this forum. Hi! The best thing I've seen for broken blood vessels or red spots is the V-Beam laser. It's not harsh or a resurfacing laser and it won't clear up pore issues. I've never heard of a remedy for pores, though the ones mentioned here sound like good things to try out. If you google V Beam laser, you will find the manufacturer's website which can lead you to a practitioner. I am not affiliated with them in any way...But a friend had it done once around his nose area for broken blood vessels/redness and it worked like a charm, after several rounds of expensive but ineffective IPL treatments. Good luck!

Check with your dermatologist to see if the redness is caused by Rosacea. Mine is!

For the clogged pores, you might want to use a clay mask once a week.