Bruising/Burst Capillaries around Eyes

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Loves2Pose
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September 5, 2008 at 12:30 am

Post count: 4

#1170

I started bikram yoga about a month ago and have been attending class 2-3 times a week. The past few sessions I have been getting ALOT of very small red dots under the skin directly under and around my eyes, and also on my eyelids. It looks very much like burst capillaries, and takes a few days to go away. Why is this happening? It is not painful, and does not appear to be a rash. I know that it is directly connected to yoga, but I don’t know what I am doing to cause this? I don’t want to stop practicing bikram yoga, as I truly enjoy it! I asked an instructor but they didn’t have much advice, as they hadn’t seen it happen before. I will greatly appreciate any insight or tips you might have – thank you!

Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)
Forum Owner

September 8, 2008 at 2:00 pm

Post count: 3048

#3452

Hello Danielle

This is very interesting. It is, in all honesty, very difficult to have an idea of your problem without more information. I don’t have the benefit of seeing your spots. You mention that they could be burst capillaries. The most likely cause of burst capillaries is said to be age, sun or too much alcohol. Heat doesn’t seem to be a cause.

It is possible that your ‘red dots’ occur with some other presenting symptom which may or may not be obvious to you at the time.

It would be very useful to know if the problem is burst capillaries, or if these small dots are raised in any way. You mention they are not painful. Are they associated with any sensation? Are they hot? Are they itchy?

You could also try to apply a cream that contains Vitamin A and or Vitamin K. Both of these vitamins help repair skin cells and are in many, many eye creams. You may find your skin needs a little boost! I just had this vision of you lying there with cut cucumber rounds on your eyes :cheese: Something ‘cooling’ couldn’t hoit!

Namaste
Gabrielle

Loves2Pose
Participant

September 8, 2008 at 9:34 pm

Post count: 4

#3453

Thank you for the response! I will definitely try a cream with Vitamins A&K;. The capillary bursting (if that’s indeed what it is) is directly related to the yoga. I am hesitant to keep calling them burst capillaries, because that may not be what they are, but it is what the look like. Very small, very red, some are not dots so much as very fine “threads” of red under the skin. I I’ve never experienced anything like it before. When I begin class, no red dots. Immediately after class – lots of red dots under the skin around my eyes. They are not raised or itchy, but they do take several days to heal. A coworker noticed it, and said it looked like I had rug burn (around my eyes!) if that helps to visualize it at all.
Could it in some way be related to poses that have the head hanging back or when the body is bent over? Or perhaps I am not breathing correctly? I’d really like to figure out what is causing this! I notice that I feel a tremendous amount of pressure in my face when I am doing the triangle pose, and also camel. Could it be that all the blood rushing to my head is simply overwhelming my weak little capillaries?!
Thank you for your time and insight!

Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)
Forum Owner

September 9, 2008 at 12:29 pm

Post count: 3048

#3456

Hi Danielle

Some poses for sure you could be feeling pressure. I wonder what the pressure is from, when you say you feel it in your face in Triangle pose. Definitely one to dissect further. Please head on over to Triangle pose in the forum. See if anything ‘speaks’ to you there. If not please make some observations in your next class and post me a question over ‘there’.

You are either not breathing fluidly enough during these poses or it something else technical. When one is feeling stress (physical stress from challenge of the pose, or mental or emotional) one can have a tendency to hold the breath. You could be holding your breath. In camel you could actually be feeling some pressure due to the big backbend, but please check in to your breath patterns here too (shallow? stilted? stopped? smooth?).

Get back to me in the pose related forum areas. Looking forward to your response.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂
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