Laser Therapies: Vascular Birthmarks & Port Wine Stains

Al, age 50, was born with a noticeable port wine stain which spotted his right cheek and neck.  The kids made fun of him in school, 'Al, who gave you that hickey on your cheek last night?'  'Al, you have strawberry jam on your face, let me rub it off with my handkerchief.'

The birthmark caused embarrassment and anxiety and depression. There was no effective treatment and Al had to live with his red blotch. 

Fast-forward decades: Candela Laser invented the Vbeam Perfecta, the most advanced skin laser for vascular (blood vessel) lesions.

The doctors and staff at Dermatology and Laser Associates of Medford treated it resulting in remarkable improvement without scarring. This was done on an outpatient basis with only topical anesthesia and no post-operation bruising or missed days of work.

Our advanced lasers can change your life or that of a friend or relative. Due to no fault of their own, some people are born with a large unsightly port wine stain or strawberry mark. The older treatments tended to cause scarring, or the patient was doomed to live with the birthmark forever. With our lasers, we can now greatly diminish these or completely eradicate them without scarring. It is done as an outpatient, requires no injections and it is not very painful of all the things our lasers do, we are most proud of the way it works on vascular birthmarks.

Strawberry Hemangioma in an Infant

Becky, a cute baby, developed a strawberry hemangioma shortly after birth.  It grew rapidly in size, it bled and it ulcerated.  The parents were sick with worry and anxiety, everyone wants their baby to be perfect.

In the past, the standard of care was to observe and to treat the hemorrhage, tumor, ulceration and infection as they arose.  Hopefully the blood vessel tumor would resolve spontaneously be age 10.  If not, it would be excised leaving a scar.

But in the 2000's, is there not a better way to relive the episodes of hemorrhage and ulceration?  Is there not a better way to prevent the anxiety and concerns of the parents, and the physical discomfort and potential humiliation as the child grew and interacted with her peers?

Before & After

The staff at DLAM vaporized the hemangioma using only topical lasercaine (cream for anesthesia) and mild sedatives on an outpatient basis.  No post-operative bruising resulted.  Note considerable improvement with flattening and resolution of the bright red color.  Further laser may or may not be required.