Use of Lasers to Treat Port Wine Stain Birthmarks

Noninvasive clinical assessment of port‐wine stain birthmarks using current and future optical imaging technology: a review

“…4 Pulsed dye lasers (PDLs) causing selective microvascular damage commonly operate in the 577-600 nm wavelengths, although 755 nm wavelength lasers are used for mature and thicker PWS. 5,6 PDL therapy is the common approach for PWS birthmark treatment, but has important limitations in terms of success and risk 4 as only~60% of patients experience reduction in size and redness of targeted PWS skin and, after 10 treatment sessions, only~10% of patients experience complete disappearance of the birthmark. 7 Previous studies indicate that certain PWS skin characteristics, such as average epidermal thickness or depth of PWS upper boundary, are associated with treatment outcomes, 5 but this remains unpredictable between individuals and even on multiple sites on the same patient.…”

“…Radiation therapy, freezing, surgical excision and tattooing are among past treatments for PWS, yet laser therapy has proven most safe and successful due to its ability to destroy cutaneous vessels while avoiding significant damage to overlying tissues 4 . Pulsed dye lasers (PDLs) causing selective microvascular damage commonly operate in the 577–600 nm wavelengths, although 755 nm wavelength lasers are used for mature and thicker PWS 5,6 . PDL therapy is the common approach for PWS birthmark treatment, but has important limitations in terms of success and risk 4 as only ∼60% of patients experience reduction in size and redness of targeted PWS skin and, after 10 treatment sessions, only ∼10% of patients experience complete disappearance of the birthmark 7 .…”