Telangiectasias (tee-LAN-jek-TAY-ja) are small enlarged blood vessels near the surface of the skin, usually they measure only a few millimetres. They can develop anywhere on the body but commonly on the face around the nose, cheeks and chin.

These are actually developmental abnormalities but can closely mimic the behavior of benign vascular neoplasms. They may be composed of abnormal aggregations of arterioles, capillaries, or venules.

Features

Telangiectasias can result in nevus flammeus, which is a flat birthmark on the head or neck that spontaneously regresses. A port wine stain, if present, will grow proportionately with the child. There is a high association with Sturge-Weber syndrome, a nevus formation in the skin supplied by the trigeminal nerve and associated with glaucoma, meningeal angiomas, and mental retardation. Finally, spider telangiectasias are a radial array of tiny arterioles that commonly occur in pregnant women and in patients with hepatic cirrhosis. In men, they are related to high estrogen levels secondary to liver disease.

Telangiectasias may occur in a number of diseases, e.g. CREST syndrome (a variant of scleroderma) and hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome).

Treatment

Telangiectasias are often treated with laser or IPL therapy.