Wellness dictionary

Little ABC for your spa-break questions ...


Couperose skin

What does a couperose look like?

Most people are familiar with couperose, perhaps even without knowing it. With age, both women and men tend to have redness and dilated veins on the cheeks and around the nose. As the face is constantly exposed to influences such as UV radiation, heat, wind and cold, the blood vessels in the face are particularly strained. They dilate under the influence of heat and contract accordingly in cold weather. This tendency of the skin to react with redness is called couperose.

Why do many men and women get couperose?

Couperose is usually caused by a weakness of the connective tissue. The fine veins in the facial skin are not stable enough or are not sufficiently supported by the surrounding connective tissue. As the veins are no longer subjected to external pressure, they dilate and can be seen as fine lines on the skin. The increased amount of blood in the dilated blood capillaries additionally presses against the vessel wall from the inside, so that the "red veins" are more visible in the affected areas.

Are there certain skin types that have a tendency to couperose?

In addition, a predisposition to couperose is usually associated with dry, low-fat skin. In dry skin, the protective oily film of the skin, the so-called acid mantle, is not as pronounced as in normal or rather oily skin. As a result, the skin cannot protect itself sufficiently against the effects of temperature and is susceptible to couperose.

How does couperosis turn into rosacea?

If the fine veins remain permanently filled with increased blood, they are perceived as a blue-red braid on the cheeks, nose or chin. Due to the constant strain on the congested blood, the vessel walls can eventually become porous and inflammation can occur. The cosmetic problem of couperose then turns into the skin disease rosacea. Further stress such as smoking, sunlight, solarium, etc. also leads to an increased release of free radicals. This additionally promotes the development of inflammatory processes. These inflammations of the fine veins finally manifest themselves by more or less small or large pimples on the skin.

Related topics: Ultrasound treatment

Wilfried Dreckmann - Wellnessexperte und Spa-Coach

Wilfried Dreckmann

Wilfried Dreckmann combines practical experience in the field of wellness and spa with academic know-how.  Since 2006 he is working internationally as a management consultant, trainer and coach for wellness providers. He is a lecturer at the iST Studieninstitut and associate professor at the iST University of applied sciences in Düsseldorf.