Early Laser Treatment for Infants' Birthmarks

The best time to treat birthmarks may be before children are even aware they have them, a new laser study suggests.

Researchers at the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York (NY, USA) reviewed 51 children who had begun treatment for port-wine stains (PWS) before they were six months old, with the youngest starting treatment at two weeks of age. The infants were laid down with their eyes covered and a laser pulse was delivered, with the average full facial treatment taking less than a minute. The children underwent the treatments every four to six weeks, and received an average of about 10 laser sessions in all.

When the researchers compared pre-treatment photos to photos taken after one year of treatment, they found that an average of 88.6% of the birthmark area had been cleared. Birthmark clearance for individual patients ranged from 65% to 99.7%. None of the infants developed scarring or changes in skin color after treatment. While the children did develop some bruising, none required anesthesia. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, held in Palm Desert (CA, USA) in October 2006.

"The child is kind of startled and crying because they don't know what's going on,” said lead author Dr. Anne Chapas, "but once the treatment is over they're back to normal.”

PWS are vascular birthmarks made of enlarged capillaries in the skin that are present at birth. The rate is three out of 1,000 people. They 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.






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