Laser Treatment For Vascular Lesions (Fine Facial Blood Vessels And Hemangiomas)
A vascular lesion is a blemish on the skin from abnormal blood vessels directly beneath the skin surface which gives the skin a red color. Types of vascular lesions include hemangiomas, spider veins, port wine stains and cherry angiomas. Vascular lesions can occur at birth, develop soon after birth, or later in life. These benign (non cancerous) skin tumors range from very small to very large and can be disfiguring causing significant emotional problems for the child and the parent.
Procedure
Laser therapy is a treatment option which can be used on children as young as 3 months of age. Pulse dye laser (PDL) , the standard of treatment for vascular lesions, uses thermal (heat) energy to selectively destroy the targeted tissue without damaging surrounding structures thereby minimizing adverse effects. PDL’s emit a beam of light in a single wavelength to the target tissue. The laser light is magnetized to the red blood cells resulting in permanent color change and decreased incidence of scarring. New research has shown that laser treatment as early as 3 months of age can result in a very fine cosmetic result, and avoids the stigmata that children can suffer during the school years. Anesthetic cream or mild sedation can be used to keep your child comfortable during the laser treatment.
Before After
Laser treatment for vascular lesions