![]() I feel that I am now properly equipped to help get rid of or substantially lighten the stain with confidence. ![]() With quicker results, less treatments and little to no discomfort, I get excited when a patient comes in with a port wine stain. However since the addition of our Cutera Excel V laser, encasing both the KTP 532nm and the Nd-Yag 1064 nm wavelengths, results have been much more promising. Until recently, my patients were getting ok results, with the birthmarks often fading to some degree but not wholly disappearing. Sometimes the birthmark will look worse before it gets better.įor years I have been treating port wine stains with the equipment available to me at my clinic. It is important to be up front and honest with the patient when dealing with port wine stains. Treating at purpuric settings is well accepted in the laser field by the skin experts (dermatologists), however the bruise-like look of the purpuras can be more than the patient is willing to live with for a few weeks after treatment. There are always challenges with any port wine stain or for any correction of the skin where vascularity is involved. Occasionally the Nd-Yag can be effective on the body, but can be too strong for the face. The visible light devices mentioned above all give similar results, with variance due in most cases to the location and age of the PWS, the colour and of course, the experience of the technician. Certainly, an adult can treat successfully as well, depending on the colour and location of the PWS, but treating early increases efficacy as well as alleviating social stress to the patient if the PWS is visible on the face or neck. It is suggested to start treatment as early as two months of age and up to 8-10 treatments should provide for best results. Lighter port wine stains or pink based port wine stains tend to respond well to visible light wavelengths such as Broad band light (BBL), pulsed dye lasers and the KTP, a 532nm wavelength laser. Lasers, if used properly, and with the appropriate wavelength, can give effective results without downtime. Depending on the size and location of the PWS, the most common treatment is laser, and less commonly surgery or radiation. Occurring in about 3 out of every 1000 newborns, Port Wine Stains (PWS) present as pink, red or purple, generally flat and often misshapen discoloration on an otherwise normal skin.
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