Procedure name:
Port Wine Stain Treatment

Anticipated result of the procedure:
Port-wine stains occur most often on the face but can appear anywhere on the body. Early stains are usually flat and pink in appearance. As the child matures, the color may deepen to a dark red or purplish color. The presence of PWS can cause emotional and social problems for the affected person because of their cosmetic appearance.

Port-wine stains that involve the upper and lower lids (trigeminal distribution) may be associated with the development of glaucoma. This procedure will remove the physical as well as emotional scars of PWS, allowing the patient to enjoy living with a beautiful, flawless face.

Procedure Description:
Many treatments have been tried for port-wine stains including freezing, surgery, radiation, and tattooing. Lasers have made the biggest impact on treatment, because they are the sole method of destroying the cutaneous capillaries without significant damage to the overlying skin. The flashlamp pumped dye laser, a yellow light laser, has been the most successful at destroying stains in infants and young children. Two other yellow light lasers, the copper vapor and krypton laser, have been used successfully in adults. The neodymium-YAG laser is used to treat thick, nodular, deep purple port-wine stains.

Length:
Quick procedure

Anesthesia:
Topical numbing cream

In/Outpatient:
Outpatient

Temporary Side Effects:
There may be slight swelling, redness, and a mottled look to the skin immediately following treatment.

Recovery:
A gray, and sometimes dark gray color may manifest and sometimes lasts anywhere from three to seven days.

Duration of Results:
Permanent. (But multiple treatments maybe required).

Risks:
If laser is used improperly there is the possibility that further skin disfiguration may occur.

• This is the best solution at this time.

Top Duke specialists:
Claude Burton, MD
Julie Woodward, MD

FAQS

Can port wine stains lead to other medical complications?
Approximately 5% of patients with port wine stains that extend onto both upper and lower eyelids are at risk for involvement of the eye, the brain, and the meninges (thin membranes that surround the brain). When this occurs, a diagnosis of Sturge-Weber syndrome is made. This syndrome is associated with seizures, glaucoma (increased pressure in the eye), and developmental delays. An MRI can diagnose this condition. In such cases, consultations with a neurologist and ophthalmologist are recommended.