Telangiectasia (Image 1 of 2). Close-up of the skin of a patient suffering from superficial venous telangiectasia. This is a condition in which the blood vessels close to the skin's surface become enlarged, giving the skin a mottled red appearance. It is commonly caused by prolonged excessive consumption of alcohol over many years, or by loss of the skin's supporting tissue due to overexposure to sunlight. Sometimes there is no obvious cause. Telangiectasia is not detrimental to the sufferer in most cases. For a view of the condition two weeks after treatment with sodium tetradecyl sulphate, see image M175/220.