What causes these facial spider veins?

"The majority of them are hormonal," Dr. Mark Nielsen said. "Women can have them related to hormonal changes, just like spider veins on the legs."

And there is heredity. "If mom has varicose veins, the daughter is mouch more likely to. And if both parents have varicose veins, the child is real likely to have varicose veins," he said. "I think spider veins are similar."

But men aren't exempt. Excessive exposure to the sun, common with farmers, can lead to facial spider veins.

Age is another factor, with older individuals appearing to have some degree of spider veins.

"The other condition where people have a lot of spider veins in their faces is rosacea, a chronic skin condition with inflammation of the tissues of the skin. A lot of those people will get spider veins," he said.