Ask & You Shall Receive - What to do about red marks?

A reader contacted us to ask if we had any suggestions as to what to do for red marks which she has on her face, neck and chest. She's been to a dermatologist about it who diagnosed broken veins, but treatment didn't help. Laser treatment seems to be the next step but before she goes down that route she wondered if we had any other suggestions.

To begin with, I just want to say that what I'm going to tell you is just my non-professional advice. Neither of us beaut.ie gals is a doctor or a beautician, so we'd always recommend you talk to a professional. I do think that if you're not happy with the results or the treatments you're being offered, then you should look for a new consultant. It's your life and your skin and you are entitled to have care that you're happy with - after all, you're paying a lot for it. So with that in mind, don't necessarily take what you're being offered without asking a lot of questions and being satisfied that this is appropriate for you.

I'm assuming that you don't want to merely cover up the marks, you want to be rid of them. Obviously there are a myriad of products out there for covering redness and scars and that sort of thing, but that's a temporary solution.

The other things I can suggest are treatments I read about in Gisele Scanlon's fab Goddess Guide. She recommends the SkinCeuticals range of products which she says are amazing for Irish skin. She also says that Sanctum in Temple Bar can do wonders for acne prone skin (if this is what's given you the marks) using these products. So this might be worth a try for you, or if you don't want to go down the facial route, the very fabulous Ms Scanlan also recommends Dr. Rosemary Coleman who is a renowned skin specialist located at the Blackrock Clinic. She also recommends Anne McDevitt, who specialises in the treatment of skin problems.