Pulsing Prominent Facial Artery Ligation
‘The procedure when so smoothly and the pulsations from the artery on my face are gone. The bandage is off and I am sooo amazed!! So grateful!!
One week later It looks better then my scars from a year and half ago!! You are the man and you have been so helpful!! Thanks again:)
Mick B.
Santa Monica, CA
Commentary
A very uncommon cosmetic procedure is that of the reduction/removal of prominent blood vessels on the face. By far the most common area is that of the temples and the forehead. Some patients may have prominent veins which are very blue in color. Other patients will have very visible pulsations of the temporal arteries that are aesthetically disturbing on the side of the head that extends into the forehead. These facial vessels can become extremely prominent when exercising, in hot weather and even when drinking alcohol. While the presence of these blood vessels are normal, they are not usually seen in most people. Why they appear so prominent in some people is not known and is likely just the natural size and blood flow through them or the lack of any subcutaneous fat to camouflage them. While not commonly known or even considered as a cosmetic procedure is the ligation of these vessels to reduce or completely eliminate their prominence due to the blood flow in them. This is usually done as a relatively simple procedure under local anesthesia through very small discrete incisions. The vessels are identified and tied off. In some cases of temporal artery ligation, it must be tied off at multiple points to eliminate backflow which can cause an immediate return of the pulsations. In this more rare case of prominent facial artery pulsations at the side of the mouth, a single point of ligation was sufficient. It is important for the surgeon to be aware of the anatomy of the blood vessels and the location of the facial nerves to avoid any after surgery problems.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana