Port Wine Stain Birthmarks: Laser Treatment and Skin Camouflage

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Some birthmarks fade with time. Unfortunately port wine stains, which appear as if someone has spilled a glass of red/purple wine on the skin, do not. In fact, they can darken with age or change in texture and become thick, bumpy or raised.

Port wine stains (PWS) can occur anywhere on the body but are most noticeable on the face or neck. Luckily, laser therapy is a highly successful method of treatment that fades port wine stains reducing the embarrassment of their appearance.

Port wine stains arise when there is a lack of nerve supply in an area of blood vessel growth. Without control coming from these missing nerves, blood vessels overgrow, stay dilated and allow blood to collect creating the wine colored appearance. Laser treatments will fade the PWS, however the person will continue to need further maintenance treatments through out their life. Without the presence of these nerves, blood pooling in dilated blood vessels can reoccur and PWS can reappear even after several years.

Port wine stains occur in about 3 out of 1,000 births. Sometimes “salmon patches” commonly called stork bites or angel kisses are mistaken for PWS, but these birthmarks typically fade with time and are harmless. There are two conditions that may need to be evaluated in people with PWS: Sturge-Weber and Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome. Sturge Weber syndrome involves problems with abnormal blood vessel growth in the brain and Klippel-Trenaunay causes excess growth in the bones and soft tissue.

Lasers are considered to be the most effective treatment for port wine stains because they can destroy the tiny blood vessels with limited damage to the surrounding skin. There are different types of lasers used depending on the age of the person and the type of PWS being treated.

According to cornellwomanshealth.com, one type of flash pumped yellow-light laser is used successfully in children and infants and two other different lasers work well for adults. If the PWS has become thick and nodular, a neodymium-YAG laser may be tried. Treatments with lasers can be painful and has been compared to the sensation of a snapping rubber band. Afterwards, the area will be swollen and bruised for 7-10 days. It may take several treatments until the PWS sufficiently fades and some people take time off of work or school after each treatment.

Skin camouflage with specially formulated cover up make up is one of the most common ways to conceal PWS. Dermablend and Color FX are two popular brands for skin imperfections of various types. One poster in a forum wrote how miserable she was as a young girl until her mother took her to a make up artist who showed her how to apply the make up tones to cover her PWS.

In Britain, the British Red Cross Association provides free consultation in the application of cover up make up at www.redcross.org.uk. Here in the U.S. at the Vascular Birthmark Foundation at www.birthmark.org, on their “Port Wine Stain” page, at the bottom you can click on “Ask the Make-up Expert on our experts corner” to get a free $15 gift certificate for Smart Cover make up.

Vascular Birthmarks Foundation is a very supportive organization with an active list of experts who can be contacted on line for questions about port wine stains or any other vascular type birthmark as well as having discussion forums where patients and their families find support.

For information about how the Vascular Birthmark Foundation started, see my article www.empowher.com/news/herarticle/2009/11/16/hemangiomas-face-how-treat-them

Sources:

Vascular Birthmarks Foundation at www.birthmark.org
www.cornellwomenshealth.com/
Go to Health information A-Z index: Port Wine Stains

Michele is an R.N. freelance writer with a special interest in woman’s healthcare and quality of care issues. Other articles by Michele can be read at http://www.helium.com/users/487540/show_articles

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.